Masters of Darkness I: The Third Option
by TheCrY
Summary: The first entry in the Masters of Darkness series. Kyle Katarn turns to the dark side, and Jerec has claimed the power of the Valley of the Jedi. They slowly prepare to take control of the galaxy, only a year after the fall of Palpatine's Empire. A new era of darkness will rise, and the Jedi struggle to stop it.
1. Preface

**_It was one year after the Battle of Endor and the death of Emperor Palpatine. After the victory on Coruscant two months later, the Rebel Alliance established the New Republic, led by tentative chancellor Mon Mothma._**

 ** _The Imperials, however, continue to resist and so the Galactic Civil War continues. Assumed new leader of the Imperial remnant, a Dark Jedi named Jerec, has been searching for the Valley of the Jedi that was, as he discovered, hidden on Ruusan, a forgotten planet._**

 ** _Jedi Knight Kyle Katarn and rebel agent Jan Ors followed the Dark Jedi to Ruusan and plan to stop him from taking the Force power from the Valley and using it to strengthen himself…_**

(a few words by the author)

Thank you very much for wanting to read this fanfiction story. This was one of the first fanfic stories I've ever written, and although it lays the foundation for my alternate version of the Star Wars universe, this first entry is not particularly my best. Some of the dialogue in this is horrifying, and the plot is fairly simple, but there are some okay moments. I was young when I wrote it, English is not my first language, and I would not write like this today, but I figured I'd upload it anyway. This part is pretty much all set-up, and the true plot begins in Episode II: The Force Reborn. For those unable to get through this cringy story, there is a plot summary at the end, detailing important events that might be of interest if you plan on reading Episodes II and III (including possibly obscure backgrounds). I have thought of re-writing this Episode, and maybe one day I will, but I'd rather focus on new stories.

This fanfiction follows up on:

\- The George Lucas Star Wars films, episodes I through VI (and the Clone Wars animated show)

\- The pc games Dark Forces and Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight, including their novelization by William C. Dietz. Many characters are from these games/novels.

This kicked off the fan fiction that has spun out of control at this point. In the game Dark Forces II, there were only two paths to follow. Either Kyle would stay at the light side and oppose Jerec at the heart of the Valley, or Kyle would succumb to the dark side and race Jerec to the Valley and battle for its power. However, I wanted Kyle to succumb to the dark side _and_ join Jerec's entourage of minions. There is also many content from the game's expansion pack _Mysteries of the Sith_ included here, interpreted freely. In this first episode, Kyle tries to fit in with his new surroundings, and Jerec executes his masterplan to take control of the galaxy.

 _Disclaimer:_ ** _I do not own Star Wars or any of the characters introduced in existing stories. Only the original characters in here are mine._**

Any reviews or comments would be appreciated, despite this story being old.

Thanks for reading,

TheCrY


	2. Background Knowledge

**Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire 1 BBY  
** by William C. Dietz

Kyle Katarn is an Imperial soldier, fresh off the academy, when he hears about his father's passing. On his first mission, he encounters a rebel woman, Jan Ors, who he is supposed to kill, but she talked him into letting her go. After receiving the news about his father, Morgan Katarn, Kyle is allowed to go home and grieve. On the transport to Sulon, he encounters the rebel woman again, who tells him that it was not the rebels who killed his father, but that his father was a part of the rebellion, and he was killed by a Dark Jedi named Jerec, governor of Baron's Hed at the time. In time, Kyle earns Jan's trust and she initiates him into the rebellion as well. They fall in love at some point. As a test mission, for Kyle to earn the trust of the other rebels, they travel to Danuta in the _Moldy Crow_ and steal the plans to the Death Star.

 **Dark Forces II: Rebel Agent 5 ABY  
Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight 5 ABY  
**by William C. Dietz

Kyle Katarn is now set on avenging his father's death. He managed to track a droid named 8t88, who dealt with his father before, and discovers that the droid had betrayed his father in a business deal. 8t88 also warns him that Jerec is not a man to be trifled with, for he is a Dark Jedi on a quest for the legendary Valley of the Jedi. The droid reveals that he has stolen a data disc from Kyle's dead father's homestead on Sulon, but he cannot decipher the code. Enraged, Kyle chases the droid through the streets of Nar Shaddaa and eventually reclaims the disc, but 8t88 escapes. With the help of Jan Ors and the _Moldy Crow_ , they now travel to Sulon. In his father's old homestead, Grave Tusken have raided their home, and Jerec's minions have stolen the map to the Valley, which was hidden on Morgan Katarn's workshop roof. Kyle finds the old family droid WeeGee, who can read the disk Kyle had reclaimed from 8t88, and who hands him the lightsabre of an old Jedi friend of his father's, Qu Rahn. Kyle chases the trail into the city of Baron's Hed, into the Imperial Palace, where he finds the map to the Valley of the Jedi. This is where he meets Yun, the youngest minion of Jerec, who quickly destroys the map, and whom he beats after a short lightsabre duel. Kyle shows him mercy, a concept that Yun doesn't understand, but which makes a lasting impression on him. Kyle and Jan proceed to track 8t88 into a fueling plant, where they eventually manage to board the ship 8t88 was last taken into to receive his 'payment'. Once he located the remains of the droid, Kyle battles two more minions of Jerec, the sithspawn brothers Gorc, the muscle, and Pic, the tiny brain. Kyle beats them after a fight, catches up with Jan, and shows her 8t88's head, which contains the map to the Valley.

Afterwards, Kyle meets Luke Skywalker back in his father's homestead. They agree that Jerec must be stopped, and Kyle suggests he will do it. Luke warns him that a self-taught Jedi is a rare phenomenon, and that revenge should not be his motivation. Following the map, Kyle and Jan are led to the planet of Ruusan, which by that time has already been taken over by Jerec and his minions. Most of the colonists are dead, and Jerec has his men dig a proper way into the Valley of the Jedi, which is an ancient burial ground, which is also the site of a large battle between Jedi and Sith 1,000 years ago. The place now holds enormous power, but it is plagued by spirits of the fallen Jedi and Sith. Jerec tells Yun, Maw, Boc, and Sariss – his last four minions – to chase away the spirits that are bothering his workers. Yun is the only one who finds himself channelling his light side, but makes sure the others don't see it. At one point, during patrol, Yun spots Kyle and Jan, led by their guide Griff, approaching some cliff, but he decides not to alert anybody, as repaying his being spared in the Imperial Palace on Sulon. At this point, Yun hopes that Kyle will win, so he can learn about the light side of the Force.

Kyle, however, meets Maw, a muscled Boltrunian who lost his legs at the hands of Qu Rahn some time ago, on top of a tower ascending to the Valley entrance. Maw had learned a power known as Force Flight, causing his torso to fly. They battle for a while, and Maw manages to taunt Kyle to the extent that Kyle gives in to his dark side.

===here is where the relevant info for my fanfiction ends===


	3. Chapter 1

History recalls the event – or rather, the turn of events – as not true. It's a pain to realize how twisted the galaxy can be and this happening turned the world upside-down. Writers consider it easier and above all more agreeable to just tell their next of kin how Jerec had killed Kyle Katarn down in the Valley of the Jedi, however, nothing is less true. You're about to read what historiographers had attempted to erase from existence by sheer denial. The big turning point occurred back on the tower where Kyle Katarn, an Imperial-turned-Rebel-turned-Jedi Knight first met Maw, the half-man…

* * *

Maw's roar of anger slightly made Kyle Katarn shiver. His remark had its effect. He accelerated with far greater speed than Kyle had anticipated. The rebel fell backward, allowed the Dark Jedi to pass over him, and slashed upward.

Maw bellowed with pain, lost his concentration, and hit the deck. The lightsaber fell out of his hand, and debris rained onto his head and shoulders.

Kyle rose to his feet and approached the Boltrunian from behind. He carefully rose his lightsaber, but failed to do it as he eyed his opponent's back. Maw supported himself with his fists, turned, and looked upward into Kyle's face. "I'm defenceless… kill me! Or do you lack the courage? As your father did before you?"

Kyle dropped his head. Anger, contained and controlled for so long, flowered within. He felt it radiate outward, seep through his body, and tingle at his fingertips. The lightsaber hummed, and his fingers wrapped an rewrapped themselves around the well-worn grip. Here was one of the people who had murdered his father – and not _just_ his father, but hundreds, maybe thousands, more. Killing such a person would be just, yet…

Maw grinned demonically. "Your father was on his knees, whimpering like a child, as Jerec struck him down. I placed his head on a spike for all to see."

Kyle had enough, rose his saber and let it fall. Suddenly he felt a push in his back and felt himself being thrown away from Maw. He quickly looked up and saw the man who had pushed him away with the Force.

Jerec, Sariss and Boc had approached the two, and Kyle noticed Jan was with them. Boc gave Jan a wholly unnecessary shove. She stumbled and caught herself. Kyle saw the bruises on her face and realized that her arms were bound. She forced a grin. "Sorry, Kyle, looks like I can't bail you out of this one."

Jerec gave her a push and Jan fell. He pointed to where she lay. "Good… you've nearly completed your journey to the dark side. Complete it and join us! Strike her down! Realize your true destiny… your _true_ power!"

Time stretched thin. Jerec felt Kyle's hunger, the ambition that seeped up through his consciousness, and allowed himself a smile. _Here_ was the flaw that Rahn feared, _here_ was the lever he'd been looking for, and _here_ was a hunger that matched his own.

Jan watched the other agent's eyes, saw temptation flicker there, and wondered if she had misjudged him.

Boc simpered, did a little dance, and waited for someone to die. He wore two lightsabers, one thrust through the back of his sash and one in front.

Kyle looked from Jerec to Jan and back again. He'd been considering this. He felt almost guilty at the moment for having thought about the power the Valley would hold and he still considered claiming the power for himself. But on the other side he loved Jan, but did she fit in his life as a powerful Jedi? And why would he need to join Jerec to accomplish his needs? "What is it, Jerec, that I gain by joining you? Why would I join your evil party of the dark side?"

Jerec let out a cold snigger. "There is no good and evil, Katarn. There's only power, and those who are too weak to seek it. Tell me, Katarn, are you weak?"

After a small hesitation Kyle replied. "No, I am not weak."

"Then _prove_ it!" said Jerec coldly.

Kyle felt not weak. He had already defeated four other Jedi in battle and he wasn't even trained properly; how about that for starters. Jerec should and most certainly would be very proud if he'd join the party. He would be a valuable addition. Rahn felt absent. He had been there all the time at his side, but was now suddenly silent. He didn't dare to show up in this powerful company, concluded Kyle. He looked at Jan. She visibly begged him to refuse. She looked so helpless from that position it was almost pathetic. Oh, Kyle still thought she was beautiful, but he realized… she would only detain him as he would gain more power.

"No, Kyle…" breathed Jan. This was it, she knew it. A lightsaber came to life before her eyes, a flash of light, a memory of their kiss back on Sulon and darkness.

Kyle got a little dizzy as he realized what he had done. Jan's body was on the floor. Dead. He breathed heavily as he gasped for air. All ties to his rebel past had been severed. He felt terrible and his heart felt broken. What had he done?

"Welcome, Lord Katarn, to the dark side," said Jerec with an evil smile. He had followed Kyle's inner struggle with great pleasure and the aftermath was even more fun to watch. "You are now under my command. Do you accept that?"

Kyle stumbled, fell on his knees and eyed Jerec viciously. "I will, my master." Suddenly he felt his energy being drained out of his body and fell forward on his sweaty forehead and slightly heard Jerec's victorious laughter as he passed out. His dream seemed so real.

* * *

"Welcome home, Kyle," said Rahn. He was not smiling. He was sad. Blood was on his clothes and he stared lifelessly into nothing. "May you ever wonder what you have caused, just look around you." As if commanded, Kyle looked around.

His father looked at him as if from the grave. His face was pale and shriveled and there was a burn mark near his neck. "What have you done, Kyle? What did you think Rahn and I died for? You disappointed me, son." Kyle saw his hand stretch out, hold his lightsaber and cut off his father's head. The head remained where it was. "What's that, son? You intent to murder me again? Remember, I'm already dead!" He ticked his head and it fell off. The body soon sunk to the ground.

Grif stared at him and shook his head. "So this is what I brought you here for? I sacrificed my dear life so that you could walk the path of evil? You should have killed me right away, then." A probe droid approached from the side and gripped Grif tightly before taking him away to the horizon, where he squeezed Grif hard enough, which resulted in a blood explosion.

Jan's body looked directly into his eyes from the volcanic soil. "Kyle, you fool, I loved you! I trusted you!" She came to her feet. "What happened to the Kyle I loved? What happened to the defected Imperial officer that nobody but I fully trusted? You are weak! You are pathetic! Killing the one thing you loved!" Kyle saw his lightsaber cut her down to size. There was a horrific screech accompanying the scene.

"Well, well, Kyle Katarn…," said a voice from behind. Kyle saw it was Mon Mothma. Around her he recognized Leia Organa Solo, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, various rebels he knew by face, and surprisingly Yun, and former friend Meck Odom. They all looked disappointed and shook their heads. "I guess I was right not to trust you," Mon Mothma continued. "You never really defected, did you? Now, you don't belong to any side. You're alone." They enclosed on Kyle. He felt himself looking all around where more faces from his rebel past approached.

"Disastrous the decision to sever the ties to the light," said Rahn, who joined the enclosing mass. "Your past will always haunt you. We will never leave. The price you'll pay for choosing the path to greed and hunger." Kyle saw his right hand holding the lightsaber and slash around. Some fell, others didn't. They kept coming and Kyle was overwhelmed.

* * *

He shook up and instantly sat up straight before letting out a terrified scream. Around him was a dull, grey room. He seemed to be sitting on a bed. The left wall held two windows through which sunlight entered and brightened the room. A door was on the far side of the room and Yun leaned back to the wall; eyeing Kyle carefully. The young Jedi had short, wavy, dark hair. He usually wore a bluish grey tunic over a darker robe. It was a powerful combination of colours.

Yun stared at the fallen Jedi before him and remembered their previous encounter in Baron's Hed. It was in the throne room of the Governor's palace that Kyle had defeated him. Yun wondered why Kyle hadn't killed him. It was the perfect time. He was disarmed and Kyle had the power. Still, Yun was shown mercy and was allowed to walk away. A gesture Yun had never seen before. He was touched by it at the time and felt some affinity with the light side of the Force lately. He remembered Rahn's voice talking to him. How he had helped Yun chase away the screamers at the Valley. He remembered saving Kyle when he spotted him on patrol in the badlands. But Kyle didn't know that Yun let him leave as a sort of 'thank you' for the encounter in Baron's Hed.

And then there was this. Yun's hope crushed; his confusion enforced. The one man who would have been able to pull Yun to the light fully was consumed by the dark. Was it all in vain? Were compassion, mercy and respect eventually subordinate to power, ruthlessness and the simple value of taking care of yourself first? Kyle's actions made it seem so.

"Why did you do it?" The question seemed absurd, but Yun really wanted to know the answer. Kyle simply stared at the window. He had sweat on his forehead.

"Do what?"

"Why did you kill your woman? You loved her, we all could sense that. So, why did you do it?"

Kyle looked at the Dark Jedi. "She didn't fit in my plan."

Yun raised an eyebrow. "This is part of a plan?"

"Yes, it is." He rose to his feet and took a few steps toward the window. "However unlikely to you, it is the only way to reach the goal I always headed for."

"And what is that?"

"Oh, come on, Yun. Things like these are not so hard to think of all by yourself. I want revenge."

"And who do you want to avenge? And for what?"

"What an awful lot of questions, Yun. Why do you want to know?"

"Jerec wants to know. Your master desires to know." It was true. Aside from Yun's personal desires, Jerec also wanted to learn more about his new servant.

"All right then." Kyle seemed to continue, but no more came out.

"Is it still your father? Do you still wish to avenge your father?"

"I won't deny that Jerec and I have something to discuss on that matter." Kyle turned to Yun and walked past him to fetch his clothes from the small table in the southwest corner. "But there is more, Yun. A lot more. My life as a rebel was… uncomfortable to say the least. Oh, believe me, they really helped me a lot too. But there's always been the underlying tone of distrust, fear and exclusion. I never belonged with them. I know now… that they feared me becoming too powerful to control."

Yun rolled his eyes backward and looked at the ceiling. "So, Katarn, you're in it for your personal gain. Aren't we all? You'll meet the master soon. He'll see through all of your lies, deceptive words and petty excuses. Whenever you're ready. He's on the top floor, in his office." Without further notice, Yun turned around and left the room, determined to report to Jerec.

Kyle remained in the dull room. He put on his clothes and noticed a large hatch on the wall opposite the windows. He opened it and noticed a shower. That seemed like a good idea.

* * *

Boc entered the room and was immediately intimidated again by the sober interior of his master's office. Jerec had almost no possessions and left his room largely empty, except for the desk at the end of the room. The master sat on a chair and seemed to be lost in deep thoughts. Boc approached him, careful not to disturb Jerec in his thinking.

"Yes, Boc?" The words came out of the blue as Boc had not expected Jerec to speak. The master looked at him, or rather turned to him as Jerec had no physical eyes. His empty sockets were hidden by leather straps. Jerec solely had vision due to the Force. He had become excellently skilled at it.

"I report here to tell you a new ship has arrived, Lord Jerec. The star destroyer _Vengeance_ has been taken away."

"Why is my ship being taken away?"

"It seemed to be severely damaged by your demonstration in the Valley, my master. Admiral Perlon has ordered to…"

"No-one but I shall give orders concerning my ship. Let this Perlon come to me… on the double." Boc bowed and left. Jerec turned to a small device on his desk. He felt powerful ever since he left the Valley. The time was right now… this would be the rise of his very own empire. How dares this Perlon take away his ship. He suddenly felt a presence outside his office, hesitating to enter. "Come in, Yun." The grey-robed Jedi quickly hurried inside. "Report on our new friend."

"Well, my master, I don't trust him." He hesitated, but as Jerec did not respond, Yun decided to continue. "Personally, I think he's only planning his revenge on his father and now has a chance to get closer to you."

Jerec raised an eyebrow. "And why would you think that? What did he tell you?"

"Well, he himself of course claims otherwise. He says stuff about being mistrusted and excluded by the rebels… and of course giving the cliché of hunger for power as a reason." Yun felt his master's penetrating stare.

"You say hunger for power is cliché? Perhaps that is exactly why you shall never have any greater than you have right now." He rose from his seat and slowly walked around in a random direction. "Power, my young friend, and searching for it, is what makes life worth living. Why accept weakness in your life? Why not try realising your dreams, when you have the power to do so?" He put his arm around Yun's shoulder and took him for a walk across the office. "For a man such as Kyle Katarn, who lived his life being subordinate to fools who don't know the power of the Force, it is most frustrating not to have power, especially if you encounter those who either have or crave it. You should have been there, Yun, when we turned him. You should have felt the anger within him as he struck down the rebel woman; you should have felt the excitement and self-satisfaction when he had overpowered Maw." He let go of Yun and rose his index finger. "This man is finally liberated of his past. He will forgive me for killing his father. You just wait here and watch." Jerec walked back to his desk and sat down comfortably.

As if given the sign, Kyle plunged in, strode to the desk and gracelessly rammed his fists on it. He tried to look Jerec straight in the eye, but couldn't detect any eyes, so he eventually just began speaking as the man opposite him remained calm and looked as if he was expecting something. Having not gotten the reaction he wanted, Kyle spoke hesitantly. "You, erm…, you wanted to see me. So I heard." He tried to look casually as he felt intimidated by Jerec's non-reaction to his blunt entrance.

Jerec laughed as he saw the confusion within Kyle. He seemed so sure of himself, but his confidence was soon taken over by fear. "Good, Katarn," he spoke. "You'll learn your respect for me, your new master."

"You killed my father…" breathed Kyle. Yun sensed the anger within him. Where was the man who showed him mercy in Baron's Hed?

"And you killed your woman, Katarn," Jerec replied coldly. "Both were rebels. You loved both. You are as guilty as me. It was the only way."

"NO!" Kyle wanted to grab something and smash it on the ground, but there was simply nothing in the room to grab. Instead he again rammed his fists on the desk and kicked it hard. Yun side-looked at Jerec, who remained surprisingly calm even though Kyle was doing a good attempt at wrecking his desk. Normally he wouldn't have tolerated something like this.

"You feel powerless, do you not, Katarn?" Kyle felt the sharp voice cut through his ears. He didn't want to listen to it and put his hands at his ears, while moving wildly. "You did not want to kill that rebel woman, but still you did, didn't you?" As Kyle sank to his knees somewhere in the far corner of the room, Jerec continued. "You must know, Katarn, that I have been to the Valley of the Jedi." This seemed to get Kyle's attention, for he dropped his hands and turned his head.

"So what?" His voice sounded a little husky.

Jerec rose from his seat and slowly approached Kyle. "I have absorbed the power it holds. I am now immortal. There's nothing that won't do whatever I want it to do." He knelt down beside Kyle and tried his best to sound kind. "I can bring your father back if you want to."

Kyle instantly rose to his feet and eyed Jerec with great fear. "Get away from me… that's impossible…"

"Don't underestimate the power of the dark side, Katarn. You don't know it." The Dark Jedi rose to his feet again. "The galaxy has never seen a power as great as I have right now."

Kyle shook his head. "I… I don't want to listen to this… Why shouldn't I just strike you down on the spot?"

"Because you don't have a lightsaber, my friend." Jerec put his hand on Kyle's shoulder. "You don't have the power." He turned around and strolled to his desk. "But if you want I can teach you the dark side and all the power that comes with it. You will notice the difference at once, there's no doubting that." Jerec stopped as he reached the desk and half-turned to Kyle. "Well? What will it be?"

Yun observed the conversation. He really admired Jerec when he was being so charismatic and in control of things. This was the kind of power he respected and desired himself. The sheer calm and intimidating appearance of his master could never fail to impress. Both Yun and Jerec already knew what Kyle would answer.

"All right, Jerec." Kyle approached his new master and fell clumsily to his knees. "Teach me, my master." Jerec allowed himself a smile.

Suddenly a voice spoke through a COM-link. "Lord Jerec. Admiral Perlon reporting."

"Understood. Send him up." Jerec closed the link connection. "Rise, Katarn. You will be witness to a fine piece of power now. Stand with Yun and observe." Kyle obeyed.

The door opened and a man dressed as an Imperial admiral entered and stopped a few feet from the desk. He saluted his boss. "You called for me, my Lord?" Kyle sensed the fear in this man and instantly saw what Jerec meant. They would fear him too, if only for the mere knowledge he had of the Force.

"Yes, admiral, that'd be true." Jerec sat down on his chair. It was the only seat in the room, thus forcing his visitors to remain standing, which made them feel a little uncomfortable most of the time. Admiral Perlon seemed no exception. "What of my ship, the _Vengeance_ , admiral? Where and why are you sending it?"

"My lord, the ship was severely damaged…"

"I don't recall giving any orders about taking it away, admiral. How do you explain it was sent away then?"

The officer swallowed and Kyle noticed sweat on his forehead. "Well, my lord, I assumed it was no-"

"Who told you to assume, admiral? Your job is taking orders. No-one wants you to think or assume."

"Lord Jerec," the officer talked so fearful he was almost begging. "I assure you my only concern was the well-fare of your ship. I thought you'd appreciate-" He suddenly stopped talking, but his mouth kept moving. Kyle noticed him floating a little in the air, while his face turned purple.

Jerec let him go. "You're lucky, admiral. Don't let it happen again or I won't be so forgiving. Leave."

The admiral reached for his throat and breathed heavily before replying with a soft "Yes, my lord" and hasting himself away before Jerec would change his mind. Kyle found the scene to be very interesting. There seemed no way out. All he sensed around him was fear, anger and darkness. The world he knew seemed to have stopped existing. Secretly he admitted to himself he did like seeing Perlon being so powerless and weak compared to Jerec. He couldn't deny craving power like that himself. Jerec seemed to be the only answer.

"Kyle," the master spoke. "You're going to need a new lightsaber. I'm afraid the one Qu Rahn gave you got crushed after I let Boc take a look at it." Kyle wondered how he knew he got his saber indirectly from Rahn, but as he realized Jerec's power he stopped wondering immediately. "Sariss will take you across the galaxy while you search for the items you'll need. Report back to me when you've created your new lightsaber."

Kyle felt like bowing and left the room.


	4. Chapter 2

He knew she had been watching him all along and was worried sick about him. She didn't need to be. It was not him who was hurt. Slowly, Luke opened his eyes again. He was still on his knees and his hands were holding his chest. Had he been screaming? It felt so terrible. He sensed something was very wrong regarding Kyle and Jan's mission to Ruusan. Perhaps he should've joined them? Were they alive? Did Jerec claim the power of the Valley?

"Are you all right, Luke? You were out for a day." Leia felt her brother's forehead and concluded he was not ill.

"I'm fine." He sat up straight and rubbed his hair. Something certainly wasn't right. He sensed something was wrong with Kyle and he wished he knew what. Somehow he knew he was still alive…

"Mara Jade came by earlier today," said Leia. "She said there was something you needed to talk about." She sighed for a moment and stared at Luke. She knew there was something wrong, but she wanted him to start about it. To her regret, he didn't.

"I'll go and see her then… There's a lot to discuss indeed." He jumped up and wanted to leave the room.

"Luke!" He turned around and sensed what she wanted.

"Come along, then!"

The two of them hurried out of the medical deck and to the shuttle bay.

"Han will want to know where you're going," said Luke as they entered a small two-person craft.

"He will know when I get back," said Leia matter-of-factly. Luke quickly nodded and steered the shuttle out of the bay into space, on a course for Yavin IV.

The two of them didn't talk. Silence was broken when Leia had established contact with Mon Mothma.

"Chancellor? Do you receive us?"

"Yes, Leia, I receive you, but there seems to be some kind of interference. What's up?"

"Luke and I are heading for Yavin IV. Something has taken place, but Luke doesn't want to tell me what's wrong." Luke looked offended at Leia.

"Something's happened down at the Valley, chancellor," said Luke. "That's all I know, but I'm going to find out what. I think something might've happened to Kyle."

"Get right to it," replied Mon Mothma. "The Imperial battlecruiser has left orbit of Ruusan and jumped to lightspeed shortly afterwards, so you might be correct at that. We were unable to trace the destination of the vessel, but we might be on the right track. We suspect Jerec to be hiding somewhere in the Outer Rim."

"If Jerec claimed the power of the Valley, he will not want to hide it," said Luke. "We will discuss the matter at the Academy and we'll keep you informed."

"Good. Mon Mothma out."

* * *

It didn't take long before they arrived at Yavin IV and landed in the Academy hangar. A beautiful woman with long red hair tied back in a ponytail greeted the pair. Luke hastily kissed her and said: "We'll go to the meditation room; come on."

"There are a few other concerns as well, Luke," said Mara Jade. Luke merely nodded and led the way into the elevator, out on the second floor and up a second elevator, into their destination room. The room was widely lit. The far wall was one big window and the hellish grey walls reflected the light all across the room.

"All right," said Leia as she cleared her throat. "Now, talk, please."

"Mara," said Luke. "There is a possibility that Jerec reached the Valley of the Jedi and that Kyle was not able to stop him."

"I sensed a disturbance," replied Mara. "But I wasn't so sure it was like this…"

"Well, we have to find out somehow," concluded Luke. "Can you go and search for Kyle?" Mara looked at him and was about to disagree, but Luke was first. "Kyle Katarn may be the only answer here and I need someone experienced on the job."

"Why's that, Luke? You don't think…" She suddenly knew what Luke was trying to say. "You think he turned?"

"We always had our doubt about Kyle's true identity, Mara. When he became a self-taught Jedi, I always feared for this. He wasn't ready. It's probably my fault, but I no longer sense the light within him like I used to."

"Let's hope you're wrong." She knew it was pointless to argue with Luke on this. If he had a hunch about something, it was mostly righteously so. "I'll go to Ruusan to start my search looking for the Moldy Crow." Luke nodded and sighed for a moment.

"Are you sure you'll be going alone?" Leia decided to interfere with the conversation. "If Jerec has claimed the power of the Valley, wouldn't it be a little dangerous to risk facing him by yourself?"

"I'll be taking Aamer Kun with me," replied Mara Jade. She felt Luke's doubts about that decision and added: "He'll be fine, Luke. But who else should I take with me? Na-quam is leading troops to the remnant outpost on Trandosha and Petiimark is still on Ord Mantell."

"Yes, I see," said Luke quickly. "But I'm… I'm just not sure whether Aamer is ready for such a dangerous task."

"I'll be with him. Besides, I'll be needing one of the stronger apprentices anyway."

Luke nodded and turned to Leia. "Can you watch the academy for a while?"

"Watch the academy?" Leia repeated with a tone of displeasure.

"Just until either Mara or I have returned. The younglings need someone to look up to, someone they respect. I don't like leaving them alone now these events occurred."

"Not that I can do much to protect them…"

"Your presence will sooth them."

"Where will you be going?" she asked Luke.

"I'm not sure I can tell you, Leia… it'd be better if nobody would know where I'm going. Just to be sure."

"Just so you know, Luke, I'm on your side."

"I know," said Luke with a smile. Without further hesitation, Mara and Luke got up and left the room, but Leia stopped her brother.

"Where are you going?"

Luke sighed for a moment, but realized Leia was not going to let go easily. "I discovered the location of an ancient Sith temple a few months ago on Dromund Kaas. It has an extraordinary strong dark side aura and I somehow feel I need to go there now."

"A Sith temple? Luke, you're not going in there." She observed him for a few seconds. "Luke, no! We need you here in the war."

"Leia, please…"

"No way, Luke! I know I don't understand the Force and the way you sense everything, but you just can't go risking your life in some kind of nest of evil while the galaxy's in the middle of possibly the biggest war in history!"

"Stop it, Leia!"

"Seriously, Luke…"

"Now just shut up!" He saw Leia back off and sensed a bit of fear within her. "No that's not how I meant it… I'm sorry." He heaved a sigh. "The troops will be able to deal with remnants and the Jedi will battle their Force-sensitive counterparts. I'm going to that Sith temple because I feel I need to go there for the good of the battle. No one needs to know where I'm going, except for me and Mara. Don't tell anybody." He left.

Leia was left behind. She was still shaking. She had never really seen Luke that agitated. Two shuttlecrafts leaving the academy were visible through the window and Leia decided to find some company downstairs.

* * *

Now this was it? This dimly lit vessel would fly Kyle around the galaxy in search of material for his new lightsaber? Bored, he stared out the window at the stars. They moved by so swiftly at lightspeed. How would he build a lightsaber? He never did it before, so how should he know what to do, where to go?

Just for a moment, Kyle felt tempted to go into Republican territory. They would help him take care of his crew and welcome him back. Or would they? Would they believe him if he said they killed Jan Ors? No, they wouldn't. Luke would definitely see through Kyle's lies. He couldn't go back.

He needed to mind his thoughts! He wasn't the only dark Jedi aboard this vessel. Somewhere on this ship, a woman named Sariss was stationed to watch his every move and report suspicious actions to Jerec. The balding Jedi was definitely heartless, but at least seemed to value Kyle's powers. Maybe Sariss was sent to guide him, rather than to watch him. At least she could've taken the effort of introducing herself to him, or revealing herself, for Kyle hadn't spotted her yet.

Suddenly he felt a strong presence just outside the door to his quarters. It was Sariss, he knew it. Rather than taking the effort of catching her glimpse, he knew she'd enter the room all by herself. She was as curious about him as he was about her. Kyle looked up into the camera that had appeared at the ceiling and mouthed the words 'I see you'. He heard a soft sneer on the other side of the door just before it got opened.

"Well, well, Katarn," said a sharp, feminine voice as the woman known as Sariss entered. She took off her black hood to reveal her short blond hair. She liked to keep her hair short so it required minimal attention. She was dressed in tight, black leather pants and wore a tanktop of the same substance. A vague red shape decorated her torso. She wore a long black cape to impress her adversaries. Her face was pale and sharp and her eyes emitted a horrifying coldness.

"You must be Sariss," said Kyle with a faint smile, evidently not intimidated by her cold appearance. More so, he seemed pleased to finally meet his female companion as he leaned back and his eyes wandered off to observe her curves. Sariss sank down until she met Kyle's eyes again.

"Never do that again, or I will carve your eyes out." Her voice sounded so calm, yet so threatening, Kyle didn't think twice about it and stared into space again. Sariss sat down on the chair on the other side of the dark room. "We are almost there."

"And where exactly is that? I don't really have an idea where we're going to and what we're going to do."

"That is partly why I was sent with you." She paused for a while, trying to make eye contact with Kyle, but he didn't react and just kept on staring into space. "We'll soon arrive on Helska 1, in the Dalonbian sector. It's rather warm there, so you might want to stay on board until you can go right into the shadow."

"Is the planet inhabited?"

"Not by a sentient species."

"And what exactly will we do there?"

"The Master has discovered a cavern with a lot of natural red lightsaber crystals. You will simply have to select one and we'll be off again." She rose up, intending to leave, but Kyle said:

"Hey." She looked at him with a sense of irritation, which he noticed. "Loosen up, would you." Sariss ignored him and left his quarters again. "Charming woman," Kyle said to himself.

* * *

"Watch it with that!" The mechanic shook up as the sparks were still going everywhere. "Can't you see I'm walking here?" Han found it quite frustrating. "Just a little bit of victory and everyone thinks himself a superhero," he babbled to Chewbacca as they hurried on. They dodged as another mechanic around the corner dropped his electricity gun.

"What is wrong with you? Pick it up!" A quick nod from the mechanic and they walked on again. "Where the hell is Leia?"

Chewbacca roared something panicky.

"Yes, I know she's not here. Where do you think I've left my eyes? In my pocket?!"

The Wookiee seemed offended.

"I'm sorry, Chewie, it's not my day," said Han as he dodged another tool falling to the floor, this time from a height. "Watch it, would you!" He sighed. "Where are the days when mechanics were reliable and good? I don't want any of that working on my ship, mind."

They found Mon Mothma at the end of the shuttle bay, just finishing her talk with Wedge Antilles, who was preparing his ship for another run at the _Vengeance_ 's trail.

"Han, Chewbacca!" she greeted them.

"Hi there," said Han a little less enthusiastically.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you two be out there on a search for the Star Destroyer?"

"We got caught in an ambush and barely got out alive. There's still a bunch of B-wings on the path, but half our team got killed and we need repairs quickly so we can go back."

"I see…," hesitated Mon Mothma as she rested her head in her hands for a while. "We haven't got many mechanics to spare. They're all busy, but I'll see who I can send for your beloved _Falcon_."

"All right I appreciate it," said Han and turned to Chewbacca. "You better get back to the _Falcon_ and…" He lowered his voice. "Try to make sure those mechanics don't tear it apart. I'll join you as soon as I talked to Leia." The Wookiee roared something agreeable and turned away. "Have you seen Leia by the way?" Han asked Mon Mothma.

"She and Luke traveled to Yavin IV."

"To the academy? Why?"

"Luke said something has happened down at the Valley where Kyle was going."

"That new Jedi? I've gotta contact her right away."

He headed for the door to the hallway that lead to the communications deck.

"Hey Han, what's up, man?" Tristan Bolden approached the general with a stretched out hand. A peculiar smile decorated the man's scarred face.

"Oh, hi there, Tristan," replied Han. He had known the com-officer for years, even before the battle of Yavin. Tristan once was a smuggler working for Jabba the Hutt too, but never got to do any of the more important jobs. Han knew he disliked him for that, but he had become a lot nicer now they were both in the army of the New Republic. There was no time for a cosy chat though.

"What happened with the _Falcon_ , man? I saw her fly in all torn up!"

"Oh, well. Nothing extraordinary. Just an Imperial ambush." He gestured Tristan to walk with him.

"In a hurry to leave again, general?" There was a slightly cynical tone in his voice.

"You can say that. I'm getting the _Falcon_ repaired." The door to the communications deck opened. "I need to contact Leia now, if you'll excuse me."

"Ah yes, princess Leia," Tristan said with a slightly faked dreamy stare. "Well, don't let me hold you any longer, general. I'm sure there are some pressing matters on your mind. When the schedules are less tight we should have an ale sometimes, 'ey?"

Han nodded and was glad to see the com-officer walk away. He sat down near an unoccupied com-station and set the frequency to Yavin IV. The small screen turned on and with a few buzzing noises showed the inside of the academy.

"Hello, anyone there?" said Han.

A person came into sight. A small dark-haired girl with green eyes of approximately fourteen years old sat down in the chair in front of the screen.

"Hello, Han," she greeted him.

"Hi there, Vidomina," he replied. "Listen, this is urgent, I have to speak to Leia. Is she there?"

"I'll get her for you." She left the chair and Han waited. He wished there was a more advanced way to get in touch with her, but knew the Dreadnought was living on backup power. Not to mention the ship was vastly outdated. When the rebels had stolen it from Imperial hands it wasn't operational anymore; it was more of a museum piece. But at least it was large and served ideally as a mothership.

The screen showed movement again and Leia appeared on the screen.

"Han!" she shouted. She was happy to hear from him.

"Hello, my princess, what's going on?"

Surprised by his immediacy, she said: "Oh, erm, well, Luke sensed some disturbing things…"

"What things?"

"Some things about Kyle. And Jerec. It concerns the Valley of the Jedi and the safety of the galaxy."

"Tell me all about it."

"He said he thought Kyle Katarn might've turned to the dark side. That he is one of them now. Can you believe it?"

"Frankly, Leia, the more we experience the more I can believe. Is Luke there as well?"

"No, he is… erm… gone."

"Whereto?"

"Somewhere… I can't tell you."

"What?" Han looked indignantly. "Why not?"

"I promised Luke I wouldn't tell anyone." And when Han looked offended she quickly added, "I'm sorry, Han, but he insisted that I-"

"It's all right, Leia. I'm sure Luke has his reasons. So when are you coming back?"

"Luke asked if I would stay at the academy until either he or Mara Jade returned. Don't you look like that! I will return soon enough."

"I got you, Leia." He gave a faint smile. "We're about to go back to hunt down that Imperial battle cruiser that probably got Jerec on board, so I've got to go again."

"Okay. Be careful over there."

Han looked at Leia for a few seconds and eventually spoke. "You too."

He broke the connection and headed back to the hangar to inform Mon Mothma.


	5. Chapter 3

Slowly, but certainly, Ruusan came into sight. A warm, rocky planet, surrounded by Imperial presence. She needed to find a way to land without being detected.

"So how are we going to do it?" asked Aamer Kun. The dark-skinned Zabrak was one of the more experienced apprentices. He grew a black beard and always wore gloomy robes. He made a fearsome impression to those who did not know him, but he had a good heart and a clear mind, which was exactly why Mara wanted him with her. She could see him become one of the greatest Jedi of his time.

"That's the question," she replied. "But maybe we don't need to land." She rose from her seat and headed to the back of the shuttle. "Orbit the planet and cloak us." The padawan obeyed and looked at Mara, wondering what plan had formed in her mind.

"How are you planning to find the Moldy Crow without going down there?" said Aamer with a raised eyebrow.

"All we need to know is Kyle and Jan's whereabouts, right?"

Aamer nodded.

"If the ship is not on the planet, that means Katarn is not on the planet either."

"How are you so sure? The ship might've been destroyed and forced Jan to flee with a stolen shuttle?"

Mara smiled contently. "If she would have fled she would've established contact with us by now."

"All right," sounded Aamer's deep voice. "But you don't think Kyle could still be there if his ship isn't?"

The smile faded instantly. "Minimizing our odds of finding them is not good for my mood. The Force is strong down there. If the Moldy Crow is down there, there's at least a big chance Kyle and Jan are there too."

"Fair enough," decided Aamer. "But you're taking quite a chance, you know."

Mara concentrated on a squary little device that looked like a mini-computer. "Can't sense a thing down there, so it's all we can do."

"Fine." The padawan rose from his seat too and approached Mara and her mini-computer. "And how are we gonna find out whether the ship is on the planet?"

"There are tricks for that." From the corner of her eye she saw Aamer lift another eyebrow. He questioned a lot. Basically everything, really. Always eager to learn and discover he was, but what a nuisance he could be. She wasn't always in the mood to explain every single step. "In short, important shuttles were always marked by the rebellion with transmitters. Since the Crow was serving the rebellion for a long time, it contains one of those transmitters. The Imperials could never detect it, since the frequency was secret and coded. I happen to have a receiver installed on this pad and I got the right codes and frequencies." She smiled at the sight of a baffled Aamer.

"Ingenious, master."

Mara hit the buttons and activated the receiver. "If the ship is in the current system, it will light green. If it is very close, like on Ruusan, it should point it out on the map." A little antenna appeared on top of the pad and started rotating. "This takes a while," said Mara and she heaved a sigh. "Such a shame they had such outdated technology in the rebellion…"

Aamer grunted disappointedly. How frustrating it was not to be able to use the Force to achieve your goal. How long did they have to wait until the ancient receiver could receive? He eyed his master. She had gone through a lot of adventures before. She probably knew what she was doing.

"Patience is the key, my padawan," spoke Mara Jade.

* * *

"We have arrived on Helska 1, Katarn," sneered Sariss through the intercom.

Kyle looked out the window again. The planet was very close to the Helska star. The orange-looking surface would mean that this was not a planet with a chilly breeze. The vessel engaged into the atmosphere and Kyle felt the temperature rise. He quickly got out of his warm space clothes and went for a light, easy shirt with loose trousers. Still it was rather hot.

A short whizzing noise sounded and Kyle felt the ship's cooling mechanism work. He left his quarters to join Sariss on the entrance platform. He hadn't really spoken with anyone on the ship. Why would he? The way they looked at him, how they always walked around him in circles… they simply weren't worth the time. They feared him and deservedly so. Fear got them running and fear steered the ship wherever it needed to go.

When Kyle arrived at the entrance platform Sariss was already waiting there. She hadn't changed her clothing at all and stuck to her tight leather suit. There were few crewmembers there. Most of them were behind forcefields to hide from whatever was coming in.

Suddenly the ship shook a little as it was clear they landed somewhere.

"All right, Katarn," spoke Sariss. "Head for the shadows immediately."

The ship's entrance portal lowered and formed a gangplank. Furiously hot dry air steamed inside and Sariss sprinted outside and disappeared from the gangplank with a Force enhanced jump.

Kyle couldn't see where she had landed. It was stormy outside and the dust and sand covered the view. He decided to join her and sprinted down the gangplank as well. As he reached the end the vague shape of a rock came into sight. He tried to sense the shadow and jumped right at it. For the few seconds the light of the Helska star hit his skin immense pain plagued him and temporarily blinded his senses. As he landed in the shadows he saw steam coming from the skin on his right arm. He grabbed it, but it ached too much.

Sariss knelt down beside him. "Ah, you've made it. Come on, we've got work to do." She got up and hurried away.

"Why aren't you sunburnt?" Kyle shouted enraged.

"Oops! I forgot to tell you to take protective reflector shields with you, my bad." She sniggered.

As furious as Kyle was, he had to admit it was kind of stupid not to have taken this into account. He looked around and saw that the vague rock he had aimed for was the entrance to a cavern and probably the one they were looking for as Sariss had disappeared further in the cave.

As quickly as he could he got up and further entered the rock's entrance.

"You might want to think twice before leaning to the wall." Confused, Kyle observed the rock walls. They were glowing red. He took Sariss' warning by heart; to be burnt once a day would be quite enough. But at least the cave was naturally lit and he didn't have to sense his way through the dark.

"Follow me, Katarn!" Though he would love to teach her a good lesson in manners and decency, he obeyed her and withheld his anger for the time being. He would get her once her guard was down.

The heat was unbearable. There were no cooling systems here; only heat-emitting rocks and dry air. Sariss led Kyle deeper into the cave through a maze of halls, tunnels and the occasional large chamber.

Suddenly Sariss halted in front of a wall that was remarkably dark compared to the heated rocks. Kyle suddenly sensed a strong presence of the Force behind that wall and knew they had reached their destination. Sariss extended her hand and touched the wall. It immediately broke apart and revealed a gateway to a darker chamber. As soon as Sariss' foot had touched the soil the room instantly lit.

"So this is where you get all the crystals for your lightsabers?" spoke Kyle as he looked around. Scattered across the floor were several crystals, but hanging from the walls were many more.

"Only the red bladed," said Sariss, contently smiling at the sight of Kyle's astonished face. "Now, examine them closer if you like. One of them will become your most desired combat attribute."

Kyle grabbed a few of the crystals to see what they were like. How they felt, how much they weighed and how they were shaped was crucial to the form, colour and density of his future saber. But most important of all, he needed to find a crystal that he felt a connection with through the Force. It was to become his main weapon after all.

"Take your time," muttered Sariss as she seated on the ground and examined some of the crystals herself. She was soaking in sweat. The leather didn't feel that comfortable in the heat and she almost couldn't breathe. She realized she was gasping for some fresh air when Kyle looked at her as if something was wrong with her. "Found your crystal yet?" she sneered as she reached for her water bottle.

Offended just by showing sympathy, Kyle continued his search. The crystals looked so much alike. They were some minuscule differences in shape, but there were so many of them it was almost impossible to detect the one that was destined to be his. The heat was getting to him too. He paused for a moment and sat on the floor too. He took off his shirt, which was imbued with sweat.

"Keep your shirt on, bantha!" demanded Sariss. Kyle turned around surprised and saw her annoyed eyes look at him. Who the hell did she think she was? She was supposed to be his companion, not some kind of slave-driver!

"Give me one good reason," he barked.

"I don't want to see your disgusting torso!"

"Then turn around," Kyle concluded. To his surprise, Sariss did not bite back with more sneers, but simply cursed internally and turned herself around. Somehow, he'd hoped she would bark more at him, to give him a good reason to kill her. But now she seemed to accept him as an equal, by giving in to his demand, which felt rather good as well.

He turned himself to the many crystals in the room again. Suddenly he knew exactly how he was going to pick one. He got up again, extended his hand and closed his eyes. The harder he concentrated on the crystals, the heavier the chamber started to vibrate around him. Images of the crystals attacking Sariss and Jerec killing his father appeared before him. The scream of Jan flew through his head once more. But he wasn't frightened. He did not feel disturbed about it. He felt a crystal in his hand and wrapped his fingers around it.

When he opened his eyes, none of the crystals had rolled from their place. He felt Sariss' eyes in his back, but when he turned around to meet them, she was still facing the wall in the same position.

The crystal gave Kyle a weird feeling. A strange kind of cold floated from his hand to his body and he even started shaking a bit. This was the one, knew Kyle. This crystal held the power suitable for his lightsaber, he only needed to tame it.

"Hurry up, would you. It's not exactly the most pleasant temperature in here." She knew he had found the crystal he needed, she was merely waiting for him to confirm her senses. She did not want to turn around to watch him either, not until he put on his shirt again. Why did his naked torso repel her so strongly? Sariss didn't know the answer herself. She felt Kyle moving nearer and instinctively she got up, but still refused to turn around.

"Oh boy, you're sweaty," said Kyle as he observed the sweat drops rolling down her shoulders from her hair.

Somehow, Sariss found the remark to be very disturbing and turned around. He was right behind her. She opened her mouth, intending to say something offending, but nothing came out. Kyle was taller than her and his muscled torso felt very intimidating. Instead Sariss looked away and muttered, "Put your shirt on and we'll be off." She quickly moved away.

Kyle sniggered and watched her move away. "I think I get you, Sariss," she spoke with a content grin on his face.

"I highly doubt that," she replied as she hurried away to the heated hallways. Kyle quickly put on his shirt, which was still drenched, and hurried after Sariss.

Suddenly the COM-link attached to Sariss began to beep. "Captain Zegemor to Sariss."

"Here's Sariss. What is it, captain?"

"The Helska star is getting a little unstable on the side that's facing the planet. Sensors predict a solar flame eruption in less than thirty minutes. I would advise you to hurry up."

"You'd be better off not to advise me anything, captain. Or did you forget th-"

"What is your problem? Seriously!" reacted Kyle. "That man is kind enough to let us know we're in possible danger and even that's not good enough for you." He took the communicator from Sariss. "Captain Zegemor, this is Kyle Katarn. Thanks for the heads up, we'll be back soon." He roughly gave the device back to Sariss, who stared at Kyle with the coldest of looks. It was clear she was very pissed.

"You-" began Sariss, but she was immediately interrupted by Kyle.

"There's no time, remember? We need to get out of here." And he started running through the hallways. Sariss followed shortly, and Kyle felt she was boiling with anger. Content with acquiring the crystal and annoying the hell out of Sariss, he decided to add some more to it and shouted: "Hey Sariss, would you tell the captain to lower the gangplank? And be nice!"

To his surprise there was no biting back, but instead he heard her mutter at the communicator, obeying the 'order'.

When they arrived outside the wind had dropped. There was a clear view of their ship and they jumped for the gangplank.

* * *

The receiver suddenly started beeping wildly and Mara shook up. Had it found something?

"Your little plan has worked," spoke Aamer. "The Crow seems to be in the neighbourhood, and on Ruusan."

"All right," smiled Mara as the green light confirmed his answer. "Now the trick is to get down there without being detected…"

"No, wait!" shouted Aamer all of a sudden as he stood up. "We cannot sense anything on that planet, but we both agree going down there could be a huge waste of time, right?"

"Go on." She was curious to hear where this was heading.

"We should silently drift to the closest starship, infiltrate it and discover through information channels what happened."

"So it's a waste of time versus a suicidal mission… let me think."

"The only ones who know what happened are the Imperials," continued Aamer. "So the only way to know is to get information out of them or their system. Besides, going down to the planet feels like a suicidal mission too. Or does it mean so much to you to get the ship back?"

"No, it's just…" Her thoughts distracted her as she suddenly sensed movement from the planet. "There, it is, look."

They hurried to the cockpit and witnessed a large freighter leaving Ruusan's atmosphere and entering space. Mara knew it, they had to board that freighter.

"Set course for that ship," she told her padawan. Aamer was one hell of a pilot and Mara really exploited that fact by letting him do all the dangerous manoeuvres. As they approached it she read the ship's name 'Sulon Star'. Somehow she felt that this ship was the answer to many questions. "Hurry, before it goes to lightspeed."

The cloak had been disabled when they moved away from orbit and the Sulon Star had already seen them. A tractor beam was activated and pulled their shuttle closer.

"Finally a little luck," said Mara with a smile. The Imperials had no idea what they were bringing in.

"What's the plan?" asked Aamer. "Let ourselves become captives? Or will we strike hard and continue the suicidal mission?"

"Neither," decided Mara quickly. "When we land we'll have to get to a safe spot somehow, with minimal casualties and minimal fighting, if possible."


	6. Chapter 4

The _Sulon Star_ hangar came closer and closer until the shuttle was completely inside and put to rest on the bottom. Aamer looked out the tiny window on the side. Three patrols of stormtroopers were waiting outside.

"We'll let them come in," suggested Mara. "It'll be easier to beat them one by one than in the open space where they'll all get a shot at us."

The troopers tried to force the shuttle door and sparks showed up on the inside. The Jedi drew their lightsabers and calmly waited for the troopers to cut through the door.

When the door finally was cut and the first of the troopers had kicked it in the fight had begun. The sabers were activated and the troopers responded with heavy blasterfire. The small opening only allowed one trooper at the time to enter, making it easier for Mara and Aamer to defend themselves.

The Imperials weren't stupid and called off the attack through the door soon afterwards.

" _Jedi_ ," said a voice through a microphone. " _Come out of your shuttle and surrender or we will destroy your shuttle with you on it_." This was serious. Mara lead the way outside with her arms up. Aamer followed hesitantly.

An imperial officer, backed by four elite troopers, approached the pair of Jedi. "Hand over your lightsabers, Jedi."

"You don't want our lightsabers," spoke Mara with a waving hand gesture. Odd enough, it seemed to work.

"I don't want your lightsabers," sneered the officer.

"You'd like to talk to us in private somewhere," Mara continued with another hand gesture.

"Let's go somewhere where we can speak in private," obeyed the officer and turned around. "Out of the way!" he screamed. The troopers quickly fell apart and scratched their helmets in disbelief as the officer preceded the Jedi away from the hangar, through a couple of hallways into what seemed like an office. He sat down on the chair behind a metal board that seemed attached to the wall only and seemed to serve as a desk. The officer looked Mara numbly in the eye, waiting for the next order.

"We need information, officer," she said, gesturing as she went.

"Yes, information."

"Where can we get information about the Valley of the Jedi?"

"Information, on the Valley of the Jedi?" He asked numbly.

"Yes, we need information on the Valley."

"There is no information."

"What do you mean?"

"We haven't been there, only Lord Jerec and Lord Boc have. We were merely stationed to guard the entrances."

"Do you know what happened down in the Valley?"

"Roughly," began the officer before the door to his office was opened by elite stormtroopers.

"This conversation is over," said their leader as he fired a blasted at the officer, who died instantly. Lightsabers were activated and without too much trouble, the two took out the troopers. As the last trooper fell, Mara spoke:

"We need to get out here, it was a mistake coming here."

"But we were so close!" objected Aamer Kun. "We have to give it another shot. Let's trick another officer into talking!"

"I sense a disturbance in the Force. There's a dangerous presence on this ship and it knows we're here." Without further arguments they headed back to the shuttle space carefully, not wanting to be detected.

"We'll have to disable the tractor beam first, or this trip will be short."

The door to the control room overseeing the hangar was easily found and opened. The officers inside quickly drew their blasters, but the leader knew better than to do so and shouted: "Hold your fire and hold your positions! That goes for you too, Jedi! Hear me out!" He pointed outside to the hangar. "Look at your ship! Hand over your weapons and surrender or I'll detonate your shuttle with one touch at the button."

"Never!" shouted Aamer.

"Suit yourself and damn you!" cursed the leader as he pressed the button. Mara's shuttle exploded to pieces and everything on it with it. Without further hesitation the Jedi attacked and slew the officers.

"So much for the easy way out," murmured Mara. She quickly went over to the control panel and searched for a map to the freighter.

"I must say for a freighter this ship is transporting quite a lot of soldiers," noticed Aamer.

"Stand guard while I try to find an alternative way out," ordered Mara. Aamer patrolled the room, but no troopers were drawing near. They all seemed to be waiting for something to happen.

"Look at that!" shouted Mara Jade. "There is another shuttle bay not too far from here. Guess what ship is registered there? The _Moldy Crow_!"

"Interesting," said Aamer thoughtfully. "But didn't the receiver say it was on Ruusan?"

"We didn't check the receiver again when we saw the freighter."

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

The pair left the control room and followed the path Mara had read on the map. Oddly, the Imperials stayed clear of their path. It felt weird. Aamer was sure they were watching them. Why didn't they attack?

"Could this be a trap?" he suggested.

"One way to find out," concluded Mara matter-of-factly.

Suddenly she came to a halt. Aamer turned around and was sure he saw a stormtrooper just peer around the corner and retract his head as the Jedi turned around.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

Mara hesitated to open the door. "According to the map I saw, the _Moldy Crow_ should be behind this door." She sensed a presence on the other side she wanted to avoid. Aamer was still watching the way back. The stormtroopers seemed to reveal themselves now. Massive armies appeared in the hallway and blocked the way back. It was too much to take for them.

"Master, I suggest we take our chances with that disturbance," said Aamer. In response Mara turned around and agreed. They opened the door to the shuttle bay and locked it behind them.

The _Moldy Crow_ was positioned in the middle of the bay, which seemed deserted. The Jedi walked on, waiting to be jumped at by whatever was watching them.

"Let's leave as soon as possible," concluded Mara. "I'll open the hangar doors from that control room." She pointed to a cabin on top of the room, accessible only with an elevator near the corner. Without hesitation she pushed the 'up'-button and left Aamer behind with the _Crow_.

Aamer was carefully watching his back. He knew he was being watched. He knew there was a presence in the hangar with them, he felt it. He closed his eyes and tried to specify his senses and locate the disturbance. United with the Force on a higher level, he re-examined the room. The cold _Crow_ , the moving elevator taking Mara to the control room, the stormtroopers behind the locked door through which they had entered and behind the boxes…

He dropped himself to the floor as something speeded near. It flew right over him. Aamer heard a lightsaber being activated. In response he activated his and he jumped up in time to block a fierce strike from his opponent. His attacker was one of the weirdest apparitions he had ever seen. He seemed nothing but a flying torso, but a very muscled torso at that. A small electronic device with thrusters seemed attached to where used to be his legs, but it was the Force that kept him off the ground and allowed him even to fly. His face was monstrous with a furious look in his red eyes and adorned with age lines. Aamer had never seen his race before, but didn't find a lot of time to speculate about his opponent's background. He had to block another blow from his adversary's saber and quickly returned a strike, which his enemy dodged.

Mara suddenly sensed trouble and peered over the edge of the elevator, which had almost reached the top. There was a flying torso attacking Aamer Kun and they had engaged in battle. There was no way she could help him right now. It was only a short time until she reached the control room and to jump down now would be a waste. Besides, Aamer was taking care of himself quite well. But somehow she had seen that Dark Jedi before, if only she knew where?

She jumped the last bit to the control room and found it empty. As fast as she could she broke in the main computer and opened the hangar doors. Without thinking she jumped down and relied on the Force to break her fall, which it did.

Her landing did not go unnoticed. The Dark Jedi quickly floated towards her and attacked her too. His red blade was blocked by Mara's purple blade and sparks flew from the clash.

"Hello again, missy," growled her opponent. So he recognized her too? His blade came flying again, but she dodged it and jumped backwards. Aamer came jumping at the Dark Jedi from the side, but he simply extended the palm of his hand and used the Force to grab him from a distance and flung him across the hangar. In turn, Mara charged from his rear, but the Dark Jedi simply took off and flew higher, only to turn around in mid-air and crash down on his opponent. Mara managed to block the lightsaber, but fell down rather painfully nonetheless.

"Well, well," spoke the Dark Jedi as both the intruders were on the floor. "Two Jedi intrude my ship and I get to kill both… what a treat." His voice was low and growl-like. "I've been looking forward to another chance to kill you, Jedi."

Suddenly she remembered the half-man. She had encountered him a long time ago on the planet of Nar Shaddaa while she was still an Emperor's Hand. He still had his legs back then and got involved in a fight too, concerning a dangerous assignment to assassinate a hidden group of Dark Jedi that were opposing the Imperial regime. Was it possible that the failure that was her mission had eventually lead to this? Was it that very group they were opposing at this very moment?

"But what I don't understand is the why," continued the half-man. "Why would two, foolish Jedi enter a hostile vessel?"

"Kyle Katarn," spoke Mara as she got up from the floor.

"Ah, but of course," laughed the torso. "Jerec predicted that you would come looking for him."

"Where is he?" asked Aamer, who had recuperated from the fall.

"You are too late," grunted the Dark Jedi. "He is now one of us. His only goal from now on is to serve future Emperor Jerec."

"Future Emperor?" mocked Mara. "You are quite sure of yourself, aren't you, half-man?"

"Maw," he spat. "Maw is the name, raw is my game."

"Made that up yourself?" laughed Aamer.

"Have your laugh, spikehead, and I shall have mine after I killed you."

Maw flew upwards and attacked Aamer from the air. Mara quickly ran to the pair to aid her padawan, but the Dark Jedi let multiple objects block her path and distract her. Aamer had difficulties defending from a flying enemy and Maw exploited his weakness. He used a series of quick combinations before he suddenly flew over Aamer and landed his saber at his opponent's undefended rear.

"No!" shouted Mara as she saw Aamer's body sink to the ground.

"Yeeees!" replied Maw and grinned demonically. He speeded towards her from mid-air and clashed his saber on Mara's right above her head. The Dark Jedi put all his weight into that strike and Mara had a hard time blocking it, but they remained locked for a while. Suddenly she pushed the half-man away using the Force and saw him bump his head to the wall. With a barbaric guttural noise Maw again steamed right at her, but this time she ducked and slashed upward. The half-man did not fall for this again and easily blocked the attack, but his speed caused him to crash painfully on the Crow.

Stormtroopers must have been watching the fight through a camera, for they massively entered the hangar now their leader was in trouble. There was no time to continue to battle Maw. Mara fled into the Moldy Crow and settled behind the steering controls. Blasterfire was hitting the ship's hull, but there were no shields to activate.

Maw flew backwards as the Crow's main boosters turned on and blasted fire. "No, no!" he screamed as Mara safely left the Sulon Star.

"She escaped, sir," reported a stormtrooper.

"Thank you, I hadn't noticed!" raged Maw. "Use the tractor beam, idiots! Fire at will! Destroy that vessel!" He hasted away. "Send the TIE fighters!"

She was soon out of range of the ship's tractor beam and heaved a sigh of relief. The New Republican ships were at least two systems away and the _Moldy Crow_ 's hyperdrive propulsion was damaged. To her dislike she saw the Sulon Star turn and follow her course. How fast could that freighter go? Powerful laserblasts were coming her way but dissolved before they came nearer. At least it wasn't a Star Destroyer, or she'd been dead by now.

The distance between them was growing, to Mara's delight. Suddenly she noticed TIE fighters leaving the freighter and coming her way. The _Crow_ was very lightly armed and there was a good chance the weapons were disabled during its stay on the Imperial ship. The fighters were closing in on her and she felt the temperature rise.

The _Moldy Crow_ shook heavily as the first blasts hit the ship's tail. Mara wasn't much of a pilot and the ship wasn't much of a help either. She noticed the communicator on the right and grabbed it.

"Hello, anyone? This is Mara Jade in the _Moldy Crow_! I'm under heavy attack. Can anyone receive me?"

There was no response, but more blasts from the TIE fighters. The ship shook heavily and sensors indicated severe damage near the tail. How long could she keep this up?

" _Hi there Mara Jade, this is General Solo! I receive you! What's your position?_ "

"Erm… hold on, let me transmit you the coordinates." Would general Solo be on time?

Two more hits! The sensors were beeping like mad now and indicated the engines were about to break. She knew one more hit would mean the end of her.

" _TIE unit 357 to rebel_ ," spoke the comlink on a hidden frequency. " _Surrender to us or be blown to pieces._ "

What a fool, thought Mara. They gave her the time she required.

"Rebel to TIE unit 357," she replied slowly and calmly. "I surrender." They would need to escort her back to the freighter, but she felt friendly ships enclosing on their position.

" _Turn around then and follow us_ ," continued the TIE fighter.

Mara obeyed, but she only just faced the TIE fighters when behind her help came jumping out of hyperspace. She had the best view to see the fighters be taken by surprise and destroyed by the attack of her allies.

The _Millennium Falcon_ soared over the _Crow_ and many X-wings and B-wings followed, firing as they went.

" _Mara_ ," sounded Han's voice through the comlink. " _Continue on a course for Kashyyyk. Our fleet is recuperating there. We'll keep them busy for a while._ "

"Are you taking your chances against that freighter?" asked Mara.

" _We're just here to take care of the fighters_ ," replied Han. " _We have a different battle waiting for us. Now go!_ "

She quickly thanked him and flew on to Kashyyyk.


	7. Chapter 5

There was something odd, something peculiar about the thing. It felt light as feather, it seemed clearer than a clear sky, but he couldn't see right through it. A deceptive blade it would form. Not to mention the strange coldness it seemed to radiate. As if the crystal was cursed. Kyle liked the idea of a cursed lightsaber. It would make him unique, but he knew better than to believe in curses. No, this lightsaber was empowered with the dark side of the Force, he concluded. It wasn't just any saber, this would become _his_ saber, _his_ sidearm, _his_ one and only friend in battle. He couldn't wait to start crafting the hilt.

Sariss walked in with a fierce, fixed look at Kyle, who jumped up at the sudden opening of the door. He greeted her with a smile. He enjoyed company. The crew seemed to stay out of his path, but Sariss was his only equivalent on the ship. She wasn't very talkative though.

"Katarn, we need to talk," she started. She sat herself on his bed, as the only chair in the room was taken by Kyle himself, and folded her legs. Kyle couldn't help thinking that was an attractive move.

"Yes, we do," agreed Kyle.

Sariss was to the point. "Don't ever contradict me in front of the crew again, you hear me?" She looked at him with a strict stare.

"Excuse me?" Did he hear that correctly? She came to his room to tell him this?

"You heard me, Katarn." He voice sounded cold, but Kyle noticed her swallow a lump in her throat. Did his eyes deceive him or was she a little uncomfortable?

"Does it bother you that much that you come over here?" He decided to play on her nerves.

"You…," she paused for a moment, trying to search for the right words. "You just… I really should just…" Suddenly she rose from the bed and kicked the wall. Kyle noticed the glass of water hover a little.

"Hey, calm down," Kyle said calmly. "No need to get uptight. You just need to approach the crew more kindly. If you treat them with respect, they will earn respect for you and will owe you more."

"Rubbish!" spat Sariss as she turned around and faced him. "They fear us, Katarn! They are useless rats in our laboratory, if we want to. They owe their jobs to us! If we want we can destroy them with our mere thoughts! That is our respect!"

"Respect out of fear."

"They are not our equals, Katarn!" She came closer and started hissing. "We are not here to make friends. Friendship is a weakness and to be exploited by your enemies."

"I'd say you should know to separate enemies from those on your side and aim your hatred towards the former, not the latter. If you think to pay respect to those aiding you in any way possible is a weakness to be exploited by your adversaries, then your whole body of power is a lie, an untruth. True power is to overcome fear, not to fear losing it." She backed off a little and he had trapped her in the corner of the room.

"I don't fear losing m.." She was taken aback by his words.

"Of course not. Your way of maintaining it would suspect there is no power to lose." He didn't know how he found the words, but it felt so good criticizing Sariss and to see his remarks hit her hard made his heart beat faster. Sariss didn't share the excitement and gasped. She came closer with her face to his and gave the coldest of looks.

"You're lucky Jerec forbids it," she breathed. "Or else I would strike you down. Right here, right now." She suddenly felt like leaving, but Kyle had her trapped.

"No, you wouldn't," he ensured her, and he kissed her on her mouth. He expected her to withdraw and slap him, but instead she kissed him back. Sariss felt tense, but soon relaxed more and surrendered to his lips. Kyle put his arm around her, but that was where she shook up and pushed him away. With a terrified look on her face, she hastened away. Kyle sensed the fear within her as she fled.

He felt times would change now. How would Sariss react now he got in touch with her softer side? Was there even a softer side to the woman? He doubted it. But his senses did not deceive him; what he felt during that brief moment their lips met was sincere.

* * *

Jerec sat down behind his desk and numbly stared into nothing, or so it seemed, Jerec could not stare. The reports given bothered him. Especially since he had been to the Valley of the Jedi and felt very powerful. It all took so long, he was getting impatient. So much Force power flowing through his veins, yet he couldn't use it… not yet.

Before him Maw awaited a reply from his master. The half-man knew all too well not to force an answer out of Jerec and kept waiting patiently. He carefully eyed Boc, who was standing near the wall and also waited. The Twi'lek almost always moved bent, as if hunchbacked, and came across as a harlequinade most of the time. Only if you got him angry one would see there was no reason to laugh anymore; at least not for anyone who was not on Boc's side. He loved confrontation and had a sick sense of humour, which was why Maw rather stayed away from him before they got together under Jerec.

Maw preferred to act a lot less underhand. He didn't fake a false smile and a wretched attitude to mislead people. Though only to a certain degree, he favoured pure honesty and raw battle. Where people needed to be punished, punishment was due and where praise was to be, Maw simply would not show. Boc used to talk about him as a machine "good for killing, nothing else".

But Jerec didn't mind. All of his servants were useful in their own way and he looked forward to see where Kyle would fit in. A little competition was never wrong and his selection of Dark Jedi was one of the finest groups of warriors he had ever known; objectively thinking. It was one of the least of worries he had. He knew they valued each other and respected one another enough not to start bitching.

What occupied his mind at the moment were the disturbing reports from both Maw and Boc. The fact that Jedi tried to find out what happened to Kyle was predictable. In fact, Jerec had counted on that to happen. He was very disappointed in Mara Jade's escape, not to mention how the Sulon Star had to flee from the rebel fleet in the following battle. Calm before the storm it was, concluded Jerec. Let the New Republic have their little meaningless victory. It wouldn't take long before he would conquer Coruscant and terminate their government.

Boc's report was more disturbing. Luke Skywalker was missing. His spies had infiltrated the government, but lost track of the Jedi Master. If one man would be able to stop Jerec's plan, it would be Skywalker, Jerec knew it. But he felt Kyle Katarn would play a vital role as well, which is why it was so important for him to keep Kyle near.

"Boc," spoke Jerec. The breaking of the silence cut the tension both Maw and Boc felt.

"Master?" His voice was extremely high-pitched and slightly husky, but his tone was humble.

"Keep monitoring the Alliance's com-channels. And find Luke Skywalker!"

Boc bowed and turned around. As he marched to the door he gave Maw a comforting look. He pitied the half-man. To Boc, Maw was more of a mammal; an animal that raged blindly and didn't control himself enough, which was why he pitied him. Maw knew the Twi'lek disliked him and didn't at all like his look. He merely grunted at Boc, as the latter left through the door.

"Maw," began Jerec and he rose up. Maw feared the worst. "You realise your failure at the Sulon Star would have been unacceptable under normal circumstances." He paused as if waiting for a reply, but quickly continued when the Boltrunian opened his mouth. "I say under normal circumstances, Maw. This petty Alliance and their equally petty victories don't matter anymore. I have a new plan and for that you will be forgiven your unimportant failure." Jerec walked in circles around his servant. "The time has come that I unleash my new powers upon the Alliance, dear Maw. But first I have to find Luke Skywalker. You" – he pointed at Maw – "will search and destroy Skywalker. Don't let anything obtrude you. Kill him, extinguish him. Only then I can truly reveal myself to the public."

Maw couldn't bow, not even just his head, for his neck was too short, but instead just grunted. Jerec thought that was usually good enough. "Now, leave." As Maw grunted again, Jerec witnessed him float out of the office. He couldn't get used to him without the legs. In Rahn's attempt at murdering him, Rahn in fact only made him deadlier. The big muscled torso that was now Maw, filled Jerec with pride. He remembered how dramatic the future looked for the Boltrunian, but he took the change remarkably well by adopting the skill Jerec referred to as Force flight.

If Skywalker was to be found by Maw, he would face a hard time, but would Maw be strong enough to kill Skywalker? Jerec wasn't sure. He would have loved to face Skywalker himself, but he had a bad feeling about such a confrontation. His power was beyond anything ever heard of before, but somewhere in the back of his mind there still was the fear of losing it.

* * *

"Oh my, we have to contact Luke right away!"

"But where is he?"

"Mara, you have to tell us! Tell us now!"

Her arrival on the dreadnought and her report about what happened aboard the Sulon Star unlocked quite a bit of panic in Mon Mothma and General Madine. Though completely understandable, they weren't so comfortable with the idea of having lost Kyle Katarn as a friend and ally, and especially not like this. The news of Jerec and the Valley was already known, but now confirmed. Not to mention the loss of the talented Aamer Kun, which hit them hard, but perhaps that was more of Mara's imagination. They hadn't really known him after all. She turned around and faced the wall for a while, with eyes closed.

"Mara, we need to find Luke!" continued Mon Mothma. "These are way too dangerous times for a Jedi to be fooling around with missions this secret. Where is he?"

The Jedi shook her head and without facing them she left.

Crix Madine looked at Mon Mothma. "What should we do? We have no clue where Jerec is hiding; we don't know where Kyle Katarn is being held; and the dreadnought is in need of repairs."

"Thank you, general." The supreme chancellor turned to him. "Thank you for summing up our miserable situation." She needed a break. "I'll be off in the com-center." And away she went, on to meet Han Solo, whom she agreed to meet there.

"All right, Han, listen." She wondered how he would be convinced to this plan. "We must find Luke."

"I don't know where he is," Han shouted defensively.

"I know, Han, but Leia does."

Her words sounded like poison to Han. They were unworthy of the supreme chancellor. "You want me to convince her to break her promise?"

"For this one time, yes."

"What happened to honesty? Sincerity?"

"Han, don't get me wrong. Normally I would not go through all this trouble, but this is for the good of the galaxy. For the Alliance!" She forced a convincing smile.

"If Luke doesn't want to be found, he probably has a reason." He didn't like the sound of this at all. Not that he couldn't understand why Mon Mothma was asking this of him. The troubles they were into were much larger than anticipated.

"When Luke went on his… mission, I doubt he knew the scale of the dangers that we're about to face. No-one alive knows as much about the Force as Luke does. If he won't help us, than we're doomed for sure."

"Ooh," moaned Han. "I should've agreed to that next mission…"

"Listen," she sounded stern. "That freighter has cost you and your men enough energy and spare parts. I've heard from Wedge that they've grouped with the Green and Silver teams and continued down the trail. They'll be all right. I need you here, and I need you to contact Leia on Yavin IV."

"Right now?" he looked up into those bluest eyes. She stared into his with the gravest of looks and nodded. "All right then," concluded the pilot. He went for an available com-screen and entered frequency and target. The screen flickered and slowly the background of the Academy came into sight. No-one was sitting on the other side.

"Hello! Anyone?" Apparently, someone heard his shout as one of the older apprentices approached the screen on the other side.

"Hey there," he spoke with a fierce voice.

"Hello, Jaden, could you fetch me Leia, please?"

Jaden nodded and disappeared. Han waited nervously. Mon Mothma was watching him from a distance, and it made him nervous. But he understood why this was necessary.

"Han!" Leia had appeared on the screen, looking sleepy and wearing a nightgown. Apparently it was night over there.

"Leia! Didn't mean to wake you up…"

"It's all right." She smiled faintly. "I have a feeling you have a good reason for that." Han wondered how she knew, but quickly realized she also had that special connection to the mysterious Force he would never understand.

"How're you doing, honey?" He tried to comfort her first.

"I'm sleepy, Han. Don't tell me you woke me up for casual chatter."

"All right, then." He cleared his throat. "Leia, we need to know where Luke is. A lot of stuff has happened. The dangers are growing and we fear there is not much to do against such an overwhelming power."

"What do you mean, Han? What are you talking about?" She looked puzzled.

"It is now certain… Jerec has been to the Valley of the Jedi and Kyle Katarn has succumbed to the dark side in his service. Mara Jade discovered that."

"Y-yes." Her voice was shaking. "Luke suspected that to be… but still… hearing it confirmed… What about Jan?"

"Mara and Aamer didn't find Jan, but we suspect she's been killed. As for Aamer Kun, he didn't make it either."

Leia closed her eyes.

"Where is Luke?" repeated Han.

After a small hesitation she spoke with quivering voice. "Promise me only you and Mon Mothma will hear it and as few as possible. I made a promise to Luke I wouldn't tell anyone. You have to promise me that."

Han nodded cautiously. "All right."

Leia sighed nervously. "Luke is on Dromund Kaas."

"Where?" he exclaimed.

"Your system will know it. He… erm… felt he needed to go there for the good of the war, he said. He was visiting a Sith temple."

"A Sith temple?" The words came out with disgust; as if Han just spat out pure poison. "I will go there myself to pick Luke up."

"Be careful, Han," warned Leia. "That planet is located in former Sith space. Who knows what mysterious forces you might encounter, especially in one of their temples?"

"I'll be all right," he ensured her. "I'll have Chewbacca with me to protect me."

She chuckled. "I love you."

"Love you too."

Disconnect.

From the corner of his eye Mon was approaching. He closed his eyes as he felt her hand on his shoulder.

"What is he doing?" he uttered. "Sith temple… Dromund Kaas…"

"I'll immediately send a strike team to pick him up," decided the Supreme Chancellor.

"No!" Han shook up. "Let me go. Luke's a friend of mine."

Mon had a doubtful look on her face and raised her eyebrows. "You think a Sith temple is a place to go and dwell on your own? Oh, all right, just you and Chewbacca?"

"Then name me leader of the team."

"No." The word came out a little too decisive and Han responded with an offended look. The Chancellor quickly added: "I have a different mission for you."

General Solo looked at her with a look of disbelieve and moodily grunted, "I'm sure you have." Why wasn't he allowed to go? There didn't seem to be any plausible reason or alternative. "Who's going?"

She hesitated with the reply. "I'm thinking general Madine."

"General Madine…," echoed Han with a cynical tone. "Well, you'll probably have your reasons. What's my mission?"

"I want the _Falcon_ and the Blue team within reach of the dreadnought for the time being. Your main duty shall be defending it as we head for Coruscant."


	8. Chapter 6

Days had gone by. Things had indeed changed. Kyle hadn't seen Sariss since. It seemed she was avoiding him, to his regret. It also seemed that the crew had gotten word of their little argument about power. Especially the higher ranked officers regularly greeted him on the hallways or simply smiled at him. He had gotten to know the ship a lot better since. Its name was _Double Thorn_. Captain Zegemor, Kyle finally got to meet him in person, said the nickname was based on the ship's shape. It was Corellian built, but a custom design. The wings of the vessel curved slightly to the front, with the far ends garnished with long, razor-sharp horns, thus representing two thorns.

Zegemor really liked Kyle as well. This new Dark Jedi was a lot nicer and more respectful to him and the crew. He liked giving him tours through the ship. In fact, as long as he was with Kyle, Sariss wouldn't show up. The captain was convinced she feared him. He remembered standing on the command bridge when Sariss approached him. She told him Katarn had to decide where to go to for parts of his lightsaber, but ordered Zegemor to give him that choice. Since then he officially decided to keep Kyle near. Everyone on board disliked Sariss and now that there was a second, more amicable Jedi around, the crew wasn't at all divided. She had spent most of her time in her private quarters and the captain knew it was to avoid Kyle. He didn't mind. Life on board the _Double Thorn_ couldn't get better, but for how long?

Kyle had chosen to visit the markets on Keldooine to get his components. He didn't get to hear any advice from Sariss, which he could use, but heard of a smuggler there that could get you anything at a reasonable price. It was a big chance, but Kyle had a good feeling about it, and ever since he got his very first lightsaber from Qu Rahn, he knew to trust his feelings. Secretly, he wanted Sariss to accompany him to the markets. Partly because she knew a lot more about what he needed than he did, but also because he developed a certain sympathy for the Dark Jedi. He had been looking forward to another encounter with her, but she hadn't shown up outside of her private quarters. Kyle didn't give up that easy and decided to at least give her the chance to come along.

He halted in front of Sariss' quarters. She knew he was right outside the door. Why was he even trying? She knew what he was coming for.

"Hey there, Sariss," sounded Kyle's voice through the intercom. "Open up, I've got something to say to you."

She got up from the bed she was leaning on and decided to hear what he had to say. When the door was opened Kyle walked in and looked around.

"What is it?" said Sariss briefly.

"Where've you been?" asked Kyle. "Why are you not coming out?"

"Do you need me outside of my quarters?"

"Yes, definitely."

"I thought you knew so well yourself how to lead a crew? You don't need me, I'll only be in your way as you laugh and play with the soldiers." There was a cynical tone in her voice.

"Listen, I did not come here to have another argument with you," spoke Kyle jadedly. "We've arrived on Keldooine to buy the components. I'd like you to come with."

She looked at him, raised an eyebrow and turned around. "Why would you want that?"

"I could use your expertise."

"Oh, now you want my expertise!" she echoed aggrievedly. "You humiliated me in front of the whole crew, and now you think I'm willing to help you? No way. Get out." She pointed towards the exit.

Kyle paused for a moment, searching for more words to say.

"Out I said," repeated Sariss.

Disappointed at his own failure he sighed and left the quarters obediently. The door was shut when he was barely on the hallway and he turned around. He felt like shouting something, but resisted the urge when he saw captain Zegemor standing a few feet away from him.

"Eavesdropping, are we?" asked Kyle. "That's not very polite."

"I know, I'm sorry, my Lord," apologized Zegemor. "But I was told I could find you here. I wanted to tell you Jerec contacted us and he wants both you and Sariss to contact him after you got your saber ready. I don't want to push you, but…"

"I understand," nodded Kyle. "We better get those components quickly then. Come on."

"Erm… you want me with you?" hesitated the captain as Kyle already made movements to leave.

"Yeah… why not?"

"The ship… the men… the Hutts…"

"Lieutenant Frego can look after the ship and the men, so we can handle the Hutts. Come on." Zegemor, happy to leave the ship, eagerly followed Kyle.

Keldooine was a sparsely populated planet along the Ootmian Pabol, the hyperspace route that led into Hutt space. It served mainly as a trading post for travellers along the way. The few cities scattered across the planet were therefore mostly inhabited by merchants, the usual scum, and bounty hunters, offering their services to the potential customers.

The _Double Thorn_ had landed right outside the city of Ktulu. Outside the city walls, the landscape was rough and rocky. The white star disappeared behind the high, rocky mountains in the east of their position, and dusk fell.

"You think the market's open at this time?" asked Zegemor hesitantly.

"Remember where we are," said Kyle. "This is Hutt space. The people here are pure scum." Whether that was a 'yes' wasn't clear, but the captain assumed it was as Kyle kept on walking.

The large doors opened as they approached. Ktulu was a relatively small city, compared to those on most New Republic-controlled planets, but still the walls surrounded it from the dangerous plains of Keldooine. Kyle could very well imagine what would roam on those rocky plains. Wild non-sentient beings most likely, including imported Tusken raiders, possibly Vornskrs or Wampas. In any way there were probably enough reasons for those walls to have been erected.

They were welcomed into the city by a fat Toydarian, clapping his wings unruly at the sight of the visitors and clearing his throat. He wore a short, sparse beard and had a dark green skin. Kyle noticed him carrying a datapad and a touchstick.

"Welcome, you visitors," the Toydarian boomed. "May I register your arrival in Ktulu. What are your names and what is your business here?" His voice was low, crunchy, but had a cheerful, warm, yet treacherous tone to it.

"Why do you need our names?" asked Kyle. He figured it was probably accustomed to give names, but he rather not take anything for granted these days.

"You must understand," smiled the flying alien. "It's for the safety of the salesmen… if we keep track of who comes and goes… we don't have much technology here." Kyle looked around and had to admit the place looked fairly primitive next to what he was used to.

"Katarn and Zegemor," he grunted. "We're looking for some construction shop."

The Toydarian raised his eyebrow, quickly moved his touchstick over the datapad and burst into a deep, silly laugh. "Off ye go, ey?" As his laugh slowly died away, he gently flew away.

"Do you know where this shop is?" asked Zegemor.

"Not a clue, but we'll get there. The Force will guide me."

The captain silently questioned why Kyle had asked him on the mission, but decided not to complain. He was friendly for now, but Zegemor knew he was still a Dark Jedi; the kind of people with the most inconsistent behaviour.

Ktulu itself was a crowded, but primitive place. Near the gate were all the cafes, strip joints and nightclubs, and the square in the middle consisted of old, wooden market stalls. They were looking for a shop, not a stall, so they followed the dusty road deeper into the city. Kyle was amazed at the huge diversity of species he saw. Of course, on the _Double Thorn_ only humans were serving; just like on the academy on Carida Kyle was once trained. Two, probably, bounty hunters in full Mandalorian armour; a group of Mon Calamari youths; a grumpy looking Zabrak woman; a few curious Nautolans; two attractive, scarcely dressed Twi'lek women, just back from or on their way to work; a heavily armoured Rodian; and the many pilots of different nature. All stared anxiously at each other, frightened one would draw a weapon, pick their pockets, or, in case of the Twi'lek dancers, cop a feel. Was it the way Kyle walked, the casual look in his eyes, or the confidence with which he moved forward that caused them all to look at the two with mistrust, suspicion and the slight bit of fear? Kyle didn't care. As long as they didn't try to rob him, he would be in and out.

Finally they were past the long row of clubs and cafés. The next row consisted of shops and the more obscure bars, featuring less crowded people and music. Kyle walked inside where he felt he needed to go. Seeing parts of an Imperial shuttle in front of the cave-like entrance made Zegemor feel good about it as well.

"Can I help you, visitors?" A grim, pale, short, hooded man rose up from a chair in the back. The place was dimly lit, but a few torches kept a nice ambience. "We are closing in a few minutes," croaked the man's voice.

"Yes, we'll be gone soon," spoke Kyle. "I just need components for a weapon."

"You better hope I have them in stock. What kind of weapon are we talking about?"

"A lightsaber."

The man looked up for a moment and stared directly in the Jedi's eye. "Ah!" he gasped. Kyle felt the fear inside the shopkeeper rise and enjoyed it.

"I heard you had the components. Is that right?"

The man nodded and gestured them to follow him to the back. "May I ask where you heard such rumours? And from who?" He grabbed a torch and led them through a dark corridor and into some kind of storage room.

"A traveling Nautolan salesman called Olean Marr." Kyle remembered how enthusiastic that particular salesman was about the black markets on Keldooine when he met him during a mission for the Rebels. "You can get everything there," Marr had said. "Everything for a cheap price, ranging from engine modules to spices and from illegal thermals to lightsaber components. Just don't ask questions about where he got it." Understandably, the shopkeeper wasn't too happy about such big mouths luring mostly Dark Jedi towards his shop. It were the most unwanted customers and he could only hope Kyle would want to pay for the components. He turned around and held a box slightly larger than a blaster.

"This box contains all the components for a lightsaber… except for a crystal." He eyed Kyle suspiciously as the Jedi watched the box greedily. "For you, its 250 credits. And I assure you, these are getting rare." He waited for Kyle to respond.

"250?" repeated Kyle absently. "Deal."

The shopkeeper's lips moved silently as he eyed Kyle with surprise, while the Jedi was searching for his credit chip. Kyle felt his surprise and smiled. He didn't come here to cause trouble, but he enjoyed the fact that the man feared him so much. They paid for the components and left the place.

"Well, that's that," concluded the captain. "Back to the _Thorn_ , shall we?"

"I'm not sure," replied the Dark Jedi. "Let's have a little drink first in this café."

Zegemor nodded, but instantly regretted it. Kyle seemed friendly to him, but there was something about him that made his skin crawl.

They entered a little bar not too far from the shop. Dusk had fallen outside and the dimly lit bar only added to the depressing feel Ktulu now emitted. The inside was dark and intimate. Two torches emitted light near the bar, but the rest was dark. "Wow," uttered Zegemor. "Can't see a thing." Kyle led him to a quiet table in the corner, left him there and promised to get drinks.

The bartender saw him approach. "What'll it be?" It sounded more like a demand rather than a question.

"Two good ales." He turned around and leaned on the counter with his back as he watched the other customers. Suddenly he knew why everyone was looking at the pair. They weren't curious about him, but about captain Zegemor! He wore an Imperial uniform and the local people seemed ready to kill.

He felt a hand tap his shoulder. Kyle accepted the drinks, paid for them, and hurried back to the table. Zegemor was being threatened by a Trandoshan pointing a blaster at his face. There was something familiar about the lizard.

"Put down your weapon, scaleface."

The Trandoshan turned to Kyle and barked. "You two have guts showing up here. Easily earned bounties, I'd say. Enough Republican money to be made. Heheh!" He licked his lips with his long, thin tongue.

"Down that weapon or I'll do it for you," repeated Kyle fiercely.

The bounty hunter took the threat seriously and pointed the gun at Kyle instead. He came closer until Kyle could smell his foul breath. "You've got talk. I like that."

Kyle was ready to strike down that Trandoshan, but in time reminded himself his lightsaber wasn't assembled yet and all he had was a blaster. He'd rather not take the chance. Instead he just stared into those black, unpredictable eyes and forced a little fear into the bounty hunter. From the corner of his eye he saw one of the Trandoshan's friends carrying a holstered blaster and concentrated to lift it up. The Force helped him lift the blaster out of its holster and float in mid-air to point at the bounty hunter. The other visitors silently left the pub in fear and some gasped. It took a while for the Trandoshan to notice and it made him freeze on the spot.

"Hey Bossk, let's get out of here," his friend told him as he fled, leaving his blaster in mid-air.

Bossk turned to Kyle again and lowered his blaster. "You win… this time." Then he ran away. Kyle watched him leave.

"Leave my pub, will ya!" shouted the bartender. "Those were good, paying customers! You wanna cause trouble, do it somewhere else!"

Kyle eyed the bartender, saw an honest, hardworking man, decided to obey and pulled Zegemor by the sleeve. "Come on." The captain hesitated to follow Kyle, but soon agreed. The _Thorn_ was all he had, so he had to join him. He had to admit Kyle scared the hell out of him. He was lucky he was on the same side, he figured.

When they got outside, they could still see the people flee. Kyle sensed the fear in the town as the word spread that there was a Dark Jedi. "It's time to leave this city," he reckoned.

* * *

"You asked us to contact you, my lord?"

Jerec smiled. Sariss always called him 'lord', and it had a distinct tone the way she said it. She quickly saw Jerec's face turn to serious again on the hologram. "Where's Katarn?"

"In the city, my lord. Acquiring the components for a hilt."

Jerec heaved a sigh. "You are behind schedule, Sariss. Why are you not with him?"

"Well, I…" How was she going to explain without making Jerec upset? "Katarn is a downright disaster, my lord. He is slow, dumb and if it weren't for your interest in him, I would've made him join his father three times already."

"Control your anger, Sariss. Let it be your strength, not your weakness. Turn it to the outside, not to your inside."

"Lord?" She hadn't heard Jerec tutoring her for years. The response made her sound aggrieved.

Jerec wanted to speak, but waited as Sariss' hologram on his desk turned around. A hologram of Kyle entered the desk as well.

"Hello, my master!" said Kyle cheerfully. He felt Sariss' eyes poke his side. She was livid for the way he entered and the conversation he interrupted, he knew it. On the other hand, he was glad to see Jerec again, even if only in hologram, and there was no reason why he shouldn't show it.

"Katarn," nodded Jerec. "Tell me, what are you doing as far as Keldooine and why are you going to the planet all alone?"

"Oh, I wasn't alone, master. I had company in captain Zegemor."

"The question remains."

"It's not that I didn't _ask_ Sariss for assistance. She simply refused to come along. In all honesty Jerec, she's as wrongheaded as she is beautiful."

Sariss let out a gasp of indignity and sharply replied: "My lord, this waste of time that is Katarn has offended me badly and there is no –"

"ENOUGH!" shouted Jerec. His voice was sharp and husky at the same time, but the effect was there. Silently, patiently, Kyle and Sariss waited for him to speak. "You are a disgrace to me. Don't ever again bother me with your petty, childish little feuds. What of the Remnant army? What would they think?" He paused.

"I-I'm sorry, my Lord," stumbled Sariss as she avoided the eyes he didn't have.

"Resolve this matter quickly," demanded Jerec. "That is an order. We got word of a Republican ship heading into former Sith space for a secret mission. I don't like the sound of it. Assemble your lightsaber, Katarn, and order captain Zegemor on an intercept course. Contact me when it's done."

The words were barely spoken when the hologram disappeared. Sariss instantly turned around and faced Kyle. Her expression was friendly, but shocked, and her eyes were more than a little wet. She looked pale as well. That was the kind of impact Jerec had on her and Kyle looked a little worried as she moved her mouth, but hadn't decided which words to speak yet.

Eventually she said: "Let's… let's just forget about it. Assemble your saber. I'll worry about the ship's course." She quickly walked passed him and intended to flee to her chamber. Kyle frowned. Jerec's opinion seemed to affect her a lot. Well, he was the master of all of them, but this conversation wasn't over yet.

Kyle followed Sariss down the hall and increased his pace to catch up with her. "Sariss, wait!" He grabbed her shoulder and forced her to a halt only a few steps away from her quarters.

"I said just forget it!" she growled.

"No. We need to talk this over."

Sariss sighed and with obvious reluctance gestured to her quarters, which they entered soon after. This time, Kyle took his time to look around. It held no decorations. Nothing to distract the resident from whatever the mind needed to be focused on. The small transparisteel window allowed the occasional star into eyesight, but apart from that the dreary quarters held nothing of eye candy. With a swoosh the door closed behind Sariss and Kyle turned to her. The woman liked to dress in black with the occasional dash of bright red, which made quite a fearsome impression to the men, but not to Kyle.

"So…," began Sariss, holding her arms behind her back and balancing clumsily on one leg. She did not know where to look. "You wanted to talk."

Kyle scraped his throat. "What exactly is it you are mad about? Was it really about me arguing about treating the men?" He tried to establish eye contact, but Sariss cleverly avoided his eyes and remained silent. She merely sighed. "Did I do something else wrong in that cave?" Sariss just stood there, looking at the ceiling, then at the wall, with the occasional glimpse at the floor. What was the point of trying to talk to her when she was going to ignore him anyway? "Or was it the kiss?" The question made Sariss look at him and widen her eyes. Kyle knew it, this was what bothered her the most. Still, she didn't say a thing.

He turned around and peered through the little viewport. Even if this would take hours, he would have her talk about it. He closed his eyes and tried to feel her presence in the room. She hadn't moved, he could feel her position. Kyle sensed mixed feelings within her. Confusion, anger, sadness, depression, and deep within that maze of dark energy he sensed something different… but then it was gone. Shielded from him. She didn't want him to sense it, but Kyle knew what he sensed. Buried beneath the layers of confusion, he had sensed a feeling of affection. But she wasn't proud of it. He now understood that it was not him she had feared before, but that feeling of affection. A smile graced his face.

Having actually been aligned with both sides of the Force, Kyle felt he was much stronger to those present at only one of those sides. He was no stranger to positive feelings such as love, affection or compassion and didn't fear to show them. In addition, anger, sadness and depression were there all his life. The moment he knew his father had been murdered his will for vengeance had grown, but finally, and it had felt good, he had forgiven Jerec. There was a good chance he would become one of the most powerful Jedi ever, even if only because he experienced both sides intensively.

He heard footsteps behind him on the durasteel floor, which suggested Sariss was shifting position. Kyle realized she had been monitoring his thoughts just like he'd done with hers. He couldn't help feeling attracted to the woman, which he knew made her feel uneasy.

"Yes," Sariss broke the silence. "I feel bad about the kiss. You had no right." Kyle turned around. She was still feeling uncomfortable and Kyle caught a small blush on her face. He knew she didn't like talking about these things, but attempting to do so anyway meant a lot to him.

"What didn't you like about it? Am I a bad kisser?" joked Kyle.

"No.." The word came out more impulsive than intended, and Sariss scared herself as she spoke it. Kyle felt her confusion rise. She was out of her comfort zone.

"You want to hear my theory?" he asked. As she felt dizzy and sat down, but said nothing, Kyle continued. "I think the kiss unlocked something within you… an emotion you haven't felt before and it's scaring the hell out of you. Look at you! You look like you've lost all your power!" Sariss merely held her hand on her stomach and looked as if ready to throw up. Kyle went on. "This emotion… named 'love'… is harmless… if you embrace it and make it your ally. It will only make you stronger and more powerful."

For a moment it seemed Sariss' stomach contents would fall on the durasteel floor, but then she rose from her feet again, with a face almost as pale as a stormtrooper's armour. She lifted a shaky finger. "I do not fear love, Katarn," she breathed with a shaking voice.

"Then kiss me," Kyle challenged her.

Sariss looked at the floor, then at Kyle, considered his challenge and finally succumbed to her feelings. She almost ran into Kyle and pressed her mouth against his. A weight fell off her stomach as she felt his arms around her.


	9. Chapter 7

The _Chameleon_ was a peculiar ship. Though a normal diplomatic barge from the outside, it was as heavily armed and armoured as a Mediator-class battle cruiser. It was very unlikely such firepower was necessary concerning the nature of the mission, but general Madine was not one for taking risks. If anyone on the army was aware of the capabilities of possible Remnant forces, it would be him. Having actually been one of them, he thought he would have to take advantage of that every time he might encounter them.

He searched for tales about Dromund Kaas in the archives, but found nothing more than shivering tales of Sith Lords and their temples. What the hell is Luke thinking of visiting this place? What if he's been captured? Who is going to stop Jerec then?

The general stood on the bridge, his black boots on a pedestal. He scratched his auburn beard as he eyed the men that served under him. They were not soldiers. Volunteers in the army, because of the as of yet irresolvable financial situation. There've been minor training sessions concerning weapon control, basic combat training and tactical education, but the general believed nothing teaches better than experience. The men around him were newcomers on their first mission. Excited, but scared to death. Madine felt a lot more at ease with the knowledge his men would obey his every word, no matter what the situation was, but he didn't show. The last thing the men needed was a lack of trust from their leader. They looked up to him after all. 'The great general Crix Madine'. How he hated such talk. "Deeds of the past are no guarantee for the future," was his usual reply when someone would praise him too much. It wasn't necessarily true though, Madine knew that. But it usually made them stop.

"General, we are dropping out of hyperspace," said a young boy, barely nineteen years old. He had short, blond hair and that typical eagerness in his eyes all the young men had.

"Thank you, Taron," nodded Madine. Taron Alen was the ship's engineer, but Madine questioned how much he could handle. Though Mon Mothma had assured he was a fine engineer and mechanic, the general found that it remained to be seen.

The two large viewports at the far end of the bridge slowly saw the stars move slower until they were at normal impulse speed. Dromund Kaas lay directly ahead. From where the _Chameleon_ was, the planet had a dark purplish-green colour, which announced a none-too-friendly atmosphere.

"Manda, scan the surface for Luke's signal."

The girl, approximately 22 years of age, acknowledged and operated the scanning table for a while. The general waited for an answer, but meanwhile just stared at the planet through the viewport.

"I don't get any readings, general," reported Manda. "At least not from Luke or his ship. Either he has turned off his com-link or he's not down there."

"General," shouted tactical officer Pol Pla'Den. "An Imperial vessel has just dropped out of hyperspace."

"To battle stations!" ordered Madine.

The greenies responded adequately to Madine's standards. Red lights flashed and the alarm was sounding. Those appointed headed quickly for the turret spots. There was no way this could be done any faster.

The _Chameleon_ shook as it was hit by powerful blaster fire.

"Shields 95%!" shouted Taron.

TIE fighters flew in front of the viewport and teased the crew. Thoughts flew through Madine's head. Was this a trap? Has Luke been captured? How did the Remnants know they were going to be here?

The vessel turned and now the Imperial ship appeared through the transparisteel viewport and fire coming from the _Chameleon_ was heading their way. The Imperial vessel was twice as large as the _Chameleon_ , but was it as heavily armed?

A cheer went through his head as he saw two of the TIE fighters being destroyed by the on-board b-wings.

* * *

Flight captain Nada Termina cheered as the second TIE fighter exploded. "Nice hit, Ramone! All right people, at least five more fighters to take! The beers are on me if we get out in one piece."

Through the com-link sounded a series of 'roger that'-s and some taunts aimed at the Remnants. Nada sniggered, but feared for the lives of these young sentients. After all, they had only been practicing flight duels on asteroids and simulators. This was their first real fight. Nada was the only one with real battle experience, and it was worrisome. Who was expecting this assault to happen?

The TIE fighters were small and quick. They weren't easy targets. She fired a few shots into space as the fighter in front of her evaded them and flew right above her, where it exploded.

"Close one, captain! Don't worry, I'm on your tail!"

"Thanks, Porkaw, I owe you one there!"

"Three fighters coming in at 39 degrees from the Imperials!"

"Roger that, Ramone, we're going in."

"Where's that fourth fighter, folks?"

"Taken down by the _Chameleon_ itself! How about that, ey?"

"All right!"

Nada held her breath. Things were going well so far. If only they could get rid of those last three fighters before the big vessel came into firing range.

"Hey come on, listen up! We gotta nail these suckers before that big one's near enough to fire itself, 'kay? Let's get 'em!"

"They're coming in!"

The fighters fired long salvos and Nada saw explosions on her sides. She closed her eyes, thought about Porkaw and Meldo and fired back. One fighter was destroyed instantly, the other two went after Ramone.

"Hold on, Ramone, I'm coming to help you."

"Roger, I'll keep 'em busy."

She saw the fighters on Ramone's tail and locked on to her targets. The first few blasts hit the one on the back, but it merely staggered as the armor caught most of it. A little help from the _Chameleon_ finished it.

"One to go!"

"I'm hit!"

Nada saw Ramone's b-wing shudder as the TIE fighter behind him prepared for the final shot.

"Ramone, duck!" she shouted through the com-link as she was facing him and flying straight at him. Ramone obeyed in time and Nada fired.

"You nailed 'm, cap!" cheered Ramone.

"Let's get you back inside."

" _Chameleon_ to group leader," sounded through the com-link. "More fighters are coming. Are you ready for another round?" Nada turned her head. It was true. Eight more fighters were approaching from the Imperial ship that was almost within firing range.

"I'll handle it. Ramone, you go back!"

"You're going in on your own?!"

"You can't do shit in a broken ship!"

"I'll be back as soon as I can."

Nada turned her b-wing to face the incoming fighters, prayed and flew straight at them, firing at will.

* * *

General Madine frowned as the last of the b-wings was destroyed.

"Prepare forward battle cannons." He made it sound calm, as if he was in control of the situation. He saw the fighters retreat and knew the Imperial vessel was within range. Its two wings were shaped in a curve forward, resulting in mighty sharp points almost resembling two thorns, or two spears. The general realized this wasn't the common Imperial battle cruiser. This ship carried an important person. It was here with a purpose, not on patrol.

"Fire when ready!" he shouted.

* * *

"You are gonna love this part," captain Zegemor told Kyle enthusiastically. He turned to his men and the com-link. "Launch seismic charges!"

Sariss found the order to be highly dubitative and frowned.

"Experimental tactics," explained the captain. "You want them alive, am I right? Best not to use the heavy guns." Sariss gestured to continue the assault and perceived from a distance. The incoming cannon fire made the _Thorn_ shake on the spot, but as the captain didn't worry about it at all, she assumed the shields had taken care of most of the damage.

Sariss carefully turned her head left and saw Kyle standing straight and broad. His new lightsaber hung from his belt. It was a curved hilt with a mostly silver and copper-coloured grip. The blade, not visible at the moment, but Sariss had seen it before, was a beautiful, clear red and the energy beam was stable and for a first lightsaber, Kyle had done a pretty good job. She felt a strong affection for the Jedi and couldn't hide it anymore.

Kyle felt her eyes and turned his head to catch her eye. Now she finally gave in to her feelings, Kyle felt she had become even more beautiful than she already was. More so, she allowed herself to be beautiful. Kyle had already caught her using make-up; something she normally didn't do. Her smile made his stomach tickle. He mirrored her smile and gestured to the control room at the back of the bridge. Sariss nodded and let out a soft giggle as she hurried to the control room.

"Captain Zegemor," spoke Kyle. "I see you are an expert at combat situations like this. We'll be back in a few minutes." He quickly followed Sariss and closed the door to the control room as he felt the captain's thunderstruck eyes in his back.

Zegemor was left behind, but all the more determined to bring this battle to a good end. "Where are those seismic charges?"

* * *

To see the _Chameleon_ 's guns hardly penetrate the enemy's shields made Madine's heart sink. They were left for dead. Was this all the disguised warship could do to this strange vessel?

"Fire all guns, cannons and blasters at the same time!" he shouted in despair. "Count down from five, four, three, two, one!" More fire was aimed towards the _Double Thorn_ , but Madine couldn't tell whether the attack had any success, because the ship shook heavily and powerful explosions came to life not too far from the _Chameleon_. He saw many young officers lose their balance and fall to the durasteel floor and felt himself join them. He struggled to hold on to something that could help him pull himself up, but it seemed he had to use his own strength for it.

"What was that?" he barked.

"I don't know, general," replied Pol Pla'Den. "But the explosion has drifted us quite far away from our previous position. Not to mention all weapons systems are down."

Madine felt close to panicking. He stared through the viewport and saw they were facing the planet again.

"Turn the ship around!"

"Repulsor engines are down. What should we do, general?"

"We can wait for death to find us… or we repair the ship as fast as possible and get the hell out of here! Let's get to work!" He had no idea how soon the Imperials would be close enough to board the _Chameleon_ , but he had to inspire the crew. If they'd see he had lost faith, they'd all follow, there's no doubting that.

* * *

Captain Zegemor had organized a boarding party consisting of handpicked officers and a group of first class stormtroopers. "I'll be monitoring your situation from over here," he had said. He saw the smaller craft leave the _Thorn_ and close in on the powerless ship before them.

Lieutenant Frego had been put in charge of the job and had been ordered to bring back prisoners for interrogation. It was not the way he liked to do things. The Rebels were treacherous. He foresaw chaos upon boarding the _Chameleon_ and preferred just killing them all to avoid all the trouble of pointing guns at scheming minds. But alas, orders were orders, and Frego preferred executing them as opposed to being downgraded. What bothered him mostly was the wait beforehand. The troopers were all waiting silently in front of the door that would connect to the Rebel ship soon. Were they frightened? Were they arrogant? The masks on their faces made Frego guess at the way they felt, but it was only for the better. He didn't care how they felt. If carrying out orders was his job, then it certainly was theirs, no matter how they felt.

He caught corporal Denson's eye and gave an encouraging smile. It was his first mission as a corporal and the lieutenant wasn't entirely sure of the man's ability of leadership. He had been highly recommended on the other hand and captain Zegemor spoke very highly of him, calling him a 'promising little fellow'. He was short indeed. Frego saw drops of sweat dripping down his dark-skinned forehead.

"We've made contact," shouted the pilot.

"Force that door open," ordered lieutenant Frego. "Asking for a surrender will not be answered anyway." His remark was answered with a chuckle from the men and lightened up the hot cabin they had been waiting in. A team trained for the job opened the door of the shuttle and started cutting through the Rebel ship's door. A hole was made, gas grenades were tossed in and the troopers waited a few seconds, while the officers put on gasmasks and the stormtroopers activated the air purification on their armour.

"All right, let's go," ordered lieutenant Frego. "Remember, don't kill all of them, we need prisoners! Go! Go!" The troopers kicked the door in an ran through, taking positions and searching for cover as they went. The lieutenant and the corporal waited in the shuttle cabin until the blaster fire stopped and the 'all clear' signal was given.

* * *

"Head over there, quickly!" shouted general Madine at the officers still hesitating to go in. There were things he had to do before things got out of hand. He had to somehow erase the mission data. The Imperials couldn't know the situation with Luke, or else they'd surely plan a full-fledged offense on Coruscant. No, he had to access the main computer and delete the data. The shooting came closer and Madine heard the young men fall. He closed his eyes, forced back his tears and quickly browsed through the ship's log.

By the time the troopers entered the bridge the general was ready and waiting; a blaster held up in his right hand.

"Put down your weapon, Rebel," ordered the trooper to the right. He wore a coloured shoulder pad as to mark his higher rank.

"Over my dead body, Imperial scum!" shouted Madine as he shot at the stormofficer, who fell over backwards, dropping his weapon in the process. The troopers responded adequately, aiming at his limbs, rather than trying to inflict a killing shot. He felt himself tumble backwards, unable to feel his gun hand. A stormtrooper approached and knocked him unconscious.

"Excellent work," spoke lieutenant Frego to the troopers. "A pity the cadet leader isn't able to see what his sacrifice has inflicted. Take the prisoners back to the shuttle!"

* * *

Sariss giggled as she put on her black leather tank top again. She glanced sideways at Kyle, who was dressing himself again as well. He caught her eye and smiled. A blush appeared on her face. He made her feel so warm. She hadn't felt happier in her whole life… twenty-eight years that was. He made her see there was so much more to life than possessing power…

Suddenly her mouth felt dry. What would Jerec think of all this? His reaction on the two fighting clearly suggested them to talk it out like adults. Would he agree to this relationship? His judgement meant everything to her.

"What's wrong?" asked Kyle. He felt her worries.

"Jerec…," uttered Sariss. "What would he say when he hears about us?"

Kyle laughed and waved her questions away. But then he saw the fear in her eyes and knew it was there righteously so. Jerec was a powerful man and had been Sariss's mentor for years. He believed in nothing but power and regarded love, compassion and friendship as a waste of time, space and opportunity. There was no way he would be happy with their relationship.

Kyle looked away and fastened his weapon belt. The lightsaber hung next to the holstered blaster. He still felt proud about the assembling process, remembering the long meditation session in total darkness. "We better not worry about that now," he spoke. "Let's see how captain Zegemor handled the fight against that Rebel ship." Sariss agreed and the two returned to the bridge.

The captain stood proudly, staring out the transparisteel viewport at the returning shuttle. "You have missed a great display of Imperial tactics."

"Been there before," Kyle assured him. "Got any prisoners?"

"We've got traitor Madine," Zegemor announced enthusiastically. "One of the Republican headpieces!"

Kyle swallowed. He knew Madine. During one of his missions for the Rebels he helped him escape from the prison in Orinackra, concerning the Imperial Dark Trooper project. More so, Madine used to sneak out information about the project to him. But how would Kyle react on his first encounter with Rebels since his re-defection? Or how would Madine react?

" _You_ will question him," Sariss ordered him. She seemed to sense his doubts about the matter and was confident that confrontation was the solution. "Come on."

She preceded captain Zegemor and Kyle Katarn to the prison cells in the lower left wing of the _Double Thorn_. The prison block was even darker grey than the rest of the ship as it lacked the appropriate droid maintenance. There was the foul smell of old metal and Kyle knew thousands of prisoners before had been interrogated, tortured and murdered in here. Contrary to his expectations, the realization did not bother him the slightest.

"Lieutenant Frego will be here shortly," said the captain. His prediction became truth. Footsteps sounded on the durasteel floor and a group of stormtroopers and prisoners, led by the lieutenant, came near.

A smile on his face, lieutenant Frego halted the patrol as they reached the Jedi and ordered the prisoners into the cells. "Captain, Sariss, Kyle," he greeted them as he nodded with each new name. "The prisoners of that Republican barge."

"Thank you, lieutenant, and well done. See to it that the barge will be destroyed."

"Yes, sir". Grateful for the rare compliment, the lieutenant saluted and marched off.

Kyle turned to captain Zegemor. "Bring me Crix Madine."

One small gesture from the captain to his troops and the Republican general was brought before Kyle. He looked tired, beaten, but ever proud. Kyle remembered how the Rebels were always headstrong and knew the general wasn't going to tell him anything. Madine refused to look his interrogator in the face and looked down at the metal floor instead.

"General Madine," Kyle began quasi-respectfully. He struggled to find words. The man before him used to be his ally, his friend. "Look me in the eye when I'm talking to you, please." Kyle felt Sariss' eyes upon him and knew she disliked his polite formulation. The general didn't react to his request. "I find it disturbing that you ignore me, general."

Madine spat on the floor.

Kyle eyed him carefully. Then suddenly, he violently grabbed Madine by the jaw and forced him to look into his face. The general saw it was Kyle Katarn, gasped and let out a shriek. "You! Traitor! Imperial scum!"

"Now you're being disrespectful, general." Kyle gave his cheeks some soft smacks with his flat hand. "Tell me; what is a general in the Republican army doing all the way over here? A bit far from war territory, is it not?"

Madine angrily tried to collect more saliva, but felt his throat was too dry and instead spat mere breath at Kyle's face.

"That's it!" shouted Kyle and he threw the general on the ground. "Kill him!"

"No, Katarn," Sariss intervened. "Contact Jerec, he will know what to do with the general. Kill the others." The troopers immediately entered the cells containing the Rebel soldiers and fired their rifles.

"Is there a holocamera here in this block?" asked Kyle while looking around impatiently. Captain Zegemor walked to a wall, pressed the right spot and a control panel was ejected. He pressed a few buttons and made contact with Jerec on Edusa. It took a few seconds before the hologram appeared.

"Yes, captain?" sounded the voice of Jerec.

"My lord," spoke Sariss. "I bring before you general Crix Madine, who was aboard the ship heading for Dromund Kaas."

"Ah yes," said Jerec as Madine was thrown in front of the hologram. Jerec watched him eagerly, or rather, pretended to watch as he couldn't see.

"Can you do something with him through the holocamera?" informed Sariss.

Jerec did not answer her but instead concentrated hard. Kyle felt the dark side of the Force bind itself around the general and saw him struggle for breath and suffer from convulsions. Jerec let him go. "I got what I wanted," he croaked. "Kill the general. He is of no further use to us. Luke Skywalker is on Dromund Kaas. Sariss, give Kyle a ship. A surprise awaits him on Rodia. Go to the city of Iskaayuma, Katarn. Sariss, I want you to land on Dromund Kaas all alone and confront Skywalker."

"All alone, my lord?"

"The planet is strong with the dark side of the Force. The troops are useless there. Maw will come to your assistance, as will Katarn when he's done on Rodia. Don't underestimate Skywalker. Jerec out." The hologram disappeared.

"He's in a chatty mood today," joked Kyle. Sariss forced a smile, but knew she didn't succeed. Kyle watched her carefully and loosely gestured the captain and the troops to leave. He turned around and saw Madine was still there. Energy crackled as his lightsaber came to life. He hit the thumb switch again as the general's body sunk to the floor; his head flying to the other side of the prison block. Kyle waved away the smell of ozone as he turned to Sariss again.

"Afraid to fight Skywalker?" he asked bluntly.

Sariss was offended. "I'm not afraid, Katarn."

"It's all right. Don't worry, I've met him before. He's a nice guy."

She looked at Kyle shortly before she burst into a short, nervous laugh.

"I'll be back as soon as I'm done with whatever awaits me on Rodia and Maw will come down there too." He tried to comfort her, but she waved away his words.

"Rodia is at least a week away from here and who knows where the hell Maw is at the moment? He's not on Edusa as far as I know, so it could well last a few days before he arrives as well. Why would Jerec send me in alone? Does he want to kill me?"

"Of course not," uttered Kyle soothingly. Deep inside he knew she was right. Jerec was probably furious about their relationship and this was his way of dealing with it. "Dromund Kaas is an average-sized planet. It could take days before you see Skywalker."

"There's no fooling Jerec, Kyle. I can't pretend that I don't know where Skywalker is."

"You do?"

"Dromund Kaas is where I was raised and trained. I know the planet inside out and there is only one place where a person such as Skywalker would go to; the Sith temple."

"The Sith temple?" echoed Kyle.

"It's pretty much the only building on the planet still standing and it's certain to get the interest of a Jedi Master."

"You do see how this is an advantage to you, don't you?"

"Do explain."

"That temple is a place of the dark side and that means its power will more likely be useful to you rather than to Skywalker. You can use its secrets to your advantage!"

Sariss gave a faint smile. She knew he meant well and that he possibly had a point, but the thought of dying down there was too present to think of something else.


	10. Chapter 8

Dromund Kaas was a gloomy planet. Whether it was the wild, swampy environment, the dark, everlasting night or the continuous and increasing pressure of dark force energy on his mind, Luke wasn't sure. It seemed harder than ever to feel the light side around him and in the confusion he had landed his ship only a few clicks too far from where he had hoped to land. It was partly to blame on the density of the swamp. There had hardly been any suitable landing sites and the open space at least provided a stable subsurface, so that his X-wing would not sink into the swamp. He was a little hesitant about it, but Luke had let R2-D2 behind to stay with the ship, lest some non-sentient lifeforms try to demolish it.

He sat down on a slimy rock. The marshy soil had gotten the better part of his sandals. In all the haste of going down here he forgot to pack some decent travel boots. He looked around, checked to see or _feel_ no signs of life, and searched his backpack for a snack of some sort. Luke closed his eyes, slowly breathed in and out and took a bite. He was close, he felt it. The temple's dark Force energy radiated on the entire planet. What would he find, once there? Luke had rarely seen a concentration of the dark side so dense and so pure as on Dromund Kaas. Everything seemed to sense the one being that didn't belong on the planet and knew it had to be deleted. Luke had encountered lots of them. Swamp wampas, controlled by the dark side; poison plants, shooting poison darts; seemingly dead pieces of wood, obstructing his path, only to be removed forcefully; and various other minor threats as smaller mammals, plants trying to grab his feet or tiny fish within the swampy waters trying to bite his toes.

Luke swallowed the last bite and pulled a cold beer from his backpack. The cold liquid came as a blessing on this place's tight temperature. The Jedi tried to look ahead to the path he was about to follow, saw a little tunnel further on and knew he had to go in there. But there was something familiar about the situation. The planet awfully much reminded him of Dagobah, the planet where he had met the late Jedi master Yoda. He felt the same kind of curiosity as when Yoda told him to go into the Dark Side Cave back there. Not only that, the cave felt similar and Luke was almost certain this was another Dark Side Cave. Knowing what he would encounter made him smile as he poured some cold beer down his throat.

He repacked his backpack and continued down the swampy forest. The cave seemed to be lit from the inside, but Luke couldn't see the light's source. He carefully strolled down the cave toward the light. Even the tunnel was wet. Drops of water streamed down the walls, slid in rocky trenches and disappeared in niches in the ground. His footsteps echoed faintly as he reached what seemed to be an underground chamber. He stopped. Someone was with him in the chamber. The moment he became aware of it, the figure made itself visible and stepped from behind a rocky pillar.

Luke saw and recognized the figure. There he was, staring at himself. His other self was dressed fully in plain, black clothing and had black hair. Luke closed his eyes and knew this was just a test. There were tests laid down for him he had to overcome before entering the temple, and defeating his darker self would be one of it. He remembered Yoda's words when he had entered the cave on Dagobah. "Your weapons, you will not need them." At the time, he didn't trust Yoda's advice, but things were different now. He knew if weapons would be drawn, his would come to life first, because this Dark Luke would only react to whatever he would do, not the other way around. He closed his eyes and attended the Force to form a shield of light around him. Dark Luke stood there, saw the light level increase to an intense level and raised his hand to shield his eyes. In return, he formed a shield of darkness around himself and smoke started to rise as the two sides of the Force clashed.

Luke felt himself caught off balance. He hadn't expected the Dark clone to reply like this. Was this different from the cave on Dagobah? His other self sent ripples through the Force as Luke was thrown backwards to the wall. This was definitely not the same. He drew his lightsaber and pressed the thumb switch. The lights in the room were extinguished at the same time and Dark Luke's red-coloured lightsaber crackled as it came to life. Luke saw no other way out than to defeat his darker self in battle. The lights were off. He closed his eyes and _felt_ the enemy's position.

* * *

Kyle woke up in his own sweat. Another nightmare. They hadn't stopped since he turned to the dark side. He wondered if they'd ever stop. Constantly killing Jan, Grif, Rahn and his father was not only fatiguing, also not how he felt it happened. He had made a decision. That they didn't fit into it wasn't his fault at all.

"We there yet?" he shouted to the ship's pilot seat. A droid was flying the ship, which Kyle had hand-picked from a few one-man vessels present aboard the _Double Thorn_. This was the ship known as _The Raven's Claw_ , and Kyle found it by far the most reliable ship to choose from. It was pimped with all kinds of black market parts, such as an illegal, but effective hyperdrive and boosted repulsors. The _Claw_ had a beaklike nose containing the cockpit and the repulsor engines were housed by what seemed like inactive wings of a bird.

The droid responded with a series of beeps. Kyle turned his head to the display and saw the translation. "We are about fifteen minutes away from Rodia."

"Wow, that was fast. I thought it was going to last a week?"

The droid beeped. "This ship flies faster than many other ships its size."

"Yeah, I know, but _this_ fast?"

A series of beeps followed. "I think you overestimated the distance to Rodia."

"Probably. All right, give me the controls, R5. I'm wide awake now."

* * *

Luke ducked as the enemy's lightsaber slashed where his head had been. He pushed away his opponent and gave a strong kick in his stomach. Dark Luke let out a shout of pain and Luke felt goose bumps as he recognized his own voice. Who was this? Or what? And why?

There wasn't much more time to think as his other self had risen again and shot a burst of Force-enhanced energy at Luke. His lightsaber blocked the energy, but he struggled to keep it stable. Dark Luke came at him with a series of combinations and aggressive slashes, all of which were blocked by Luke himself. It seemed rather easy to block his attacks, but rather hard to attack himself. Then it hit him. His opponent was fighting the exact same combat style he always used! Luke needed to find a way to surprise his opponent, to do something unexpected.

He rose his lightsaber and let it fall straight down from there, which Dark Luke blocked naturally, holding his own saber above his head. Luke extended his free hand, searched deep within for the Force and shot a burst of pure energy at his enemy's chest. Dark Luke fell, shivered and dropped his saber. Luke saw the opportunity and stabbed his saber into the unguarded chest, before he realized what had happened.

Luke closed his eyes and felt repentance. Attending to his darker side was not usual to him, but he saw no other option. There was not much time to stand by his victim, whose body had mysteriously vanished, becoming one with the Force again.

He followed the cave further and quickly found the end. An open space revealed itself and announced the beginning of the temple's terrain. The space was more like a plaza, withered by the years and the swamp, but the soil was still solid rock, which pleased Luke as it travelled much lighter than the marshy grass. The temple towered over the few more trees separating him from the entrance.

Luke felt tired. He had been travelling all day and decided to spend the night on the plaza. Not that he was sure it was night, since the planet remained dark at all times. He knew, he _felt_ , that someone was expecting him, waiting for him. Who would it be?

Suddenly he wondered why he had left the _New Hope_ to go to Dromund Kaas. It was because he was told to, not because he really wanted to or knew the importance of the temple. He thought back of the Force ghost of Yoda that had appeared in his sleep. "Important it is. To Dromund Kaas go, you must." There were no words of why, how or anything else. Perhaps the temple was of some importance to Jerec and his Dark Jedi? There was no way to know. Luke set up camp, made sure nobody was around, and lay himself to rest.

* * *

The _Moldy Crow_ soared through space. Mara Jade imagined Mon Mothma's confusion as she had secretly left the _New Hope_ in order to continue her search for Katarn. It was an easy pick as to which ship to take with. The _Crow_ was an excellent vessel with all kinds of surprises under the hood, but more than anything it was the ship that Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors had used on every mission. It was bound to unlock some emotion at least. But where to? The galaxy was huge. Fortunately, help had come in the shape of a deep voice speaking to her. The voice had introduced itself as Rahn and instructed her to visit Rodia's capital, Iskaayuma. She trusted the murdered Jedi Master as his voice sounded sincere and from the Light side of the Force. Apart from that, it was the only lead she had anyway.

The rainforested, green sphere known as Rodia grew larger and larger as Mara steered the _Moldy Crow_ into its atmosphere. She almost instantly felt the temperature rise to an unpleasantly warm and muggy level. Tall trees rose around the _Crow_ as Mara contacted the Iskaayuma spaceport.

"Maintain present course. Landing bay two point seven is being prepared. Stand-by please."

As she flew the ship through the tall trees the city came closer. A large shield of some sort was deployed over the entire city to keep it protected from the extreme weather conditions that were natural to Rodia's forests.

"Iskaayuma spaceport to _Moldy Crow_. We're transmitting coordinates. Please follow them explicitly to avoid any misinterpretations. We wish you a nice day in Iskaayuma."

How nice of them, thought Mara after she acknowledged. She followed given coordinates and entered the bubble dome near the appointed landing bay. She got out, secured the _Crow_ 's locks and headed for town.

She considered going back to the ship to change clothes into something more suitable for this hot temperature, but decided against it. The spaceport seemed located almost adjacent to the market and the bars. Mara admired the city's architecture. The buildings were made of stone with moss growing on the walls. Tall, exotic plants grew on the smallest places possible. The Rodian natives countered that with their incredibly foul body odour. If the place had smelled a bit differently, if there'd be more humans living here, Mara wouldn't mind living in this otherwise beautiful place.

Mara walked down a small, nicely tiled path to the more quieter parts of the city centre. She figured Kyle, if present here, wouldn't show himself in the open on a Republic controlled planet. The path led behind the spaceport cafes and bars, parallel to the main road, but quieter and faster, as few people actually used it. Plants almost blocked parts of the path, indicating nobody was bothered to cut them to size.

Eventually she arrived at the 'Iskaayuma National Park', as read from a sign. She was hesitant to go in there, but it felt right and knew she had to.

Kyle sat down on a bench, in front of a stone statue of Navik the Red, the current Grand Protector of Rodia. He eyed his surroundings. Exotic trees and plants grew in orderly fashion all around him, but it was still maintained enough to be called a garden, or a park. He felt someone enter the park and knew this wasn't just anyone. The presence sent ripples through the Force and Kyle was pretty sure he returned them. Confident that the Jedi from the Light side would not attack from behind, Kyle remained where he was and waited for the other to come to him.

A woman sat down next to him. She was a few years older than him, had long wavy red hair dancing down her shoulders and wore a warm, dark robe.

"Kyle Katarn?" informed the woman.

"Who's asking?" Kyle replied bluntly.

"Mara Jade."

A moment of silence passed.

"Who sent you?" asked Kyle.

"You have," she replied.

"Get real."

"You sent me after you the moment you killed Jan Ors and joined the man who murdered your father in cold blood."

The words had effect. Kyle knew they were true and for a moment he remembered Jan's pretty face, but he quickly forced the thought away.

Mara saw the reaction and noticed Kyle's eye wet, or maybe it was just a reflection.

"Why did you turn to the Dark side?" she continued. "Don't tell me you're looking for power. From what I know, you had it all. None of us understands."

"From what you know, well you know nothing," spat Kyle.

"I've been there. I've been at the Dark side, Kyle. And there's nothing in there that would make me wish I still was."

"I have my reasons. Just because they're not known to you doesn't make them any less good."

"Share them with me," she encouraged with a soothing voice. Who was this woman? Someone he didn't even know tried to squeeze these answers out of him.

"It's not that simple," grunted Kyle. "There _is_ no way back!"

"Oh, but it's not my job to bring you back."

"If that's not your job then fight! Draw your weapon and impale my chest with your lightsaber. I am unarmed. What are you waiting for?"

Mara looked away and started to consider. A voice spoke to her.

"Mara, he is bluffing. Kyle is afraid to live, and he's afraid to die. I know him. Or rather, I've known him." She trusted Rahn, drew her saber and turned to Kyle again to find out that he blocked her attack with a grin.

"Nothing in here, huh?" he smirked. "I sense temptation flicker inside you."

"Kyle, stop it," murmured Mara as she rose to her feet and hummed her saber up and down. "You're not good at taunting." She closed her eyes and tried to understand what Rahn was trying to say.

"Show him what he has missed rather than what he's getting used to now. Make him beg for the light."

"How?"

"By letting out warm feelings of understanding, compassion and love."

Mara opened her eyes, hit the thumb switch and saw the energy blade disappear again. She looked at Kyle, who was obviously bored and observed a local plant. Mara send a thought out to him and tried to cut his access to the dark side. To her surprise she felt a powerful blow to her mind which made her tumble and stumble backwards. The answer was a clear 'no' from Kyle and there was no doubt where this would go to next.

"I sense a presence," muttered Kyle, still looking at his plant. "Someone is accompanying you, Mara. When I send you to join the stars, please send Rahn my regards, would you?" Quite pleased with his remark, Kyle allowed himself a smile, which slowly turned into a wide grin.

"You can do that yourself," spoke a deep voice out of nowhere. Kyle looked up. The transparent figure was floating on Mara's side. He had a dark skin and a thick goatee. Kyle immediately recognized the Force ghost as Rahn. "You had something to say to me, traitor?" Rahn continued.

"Don't call me a traitor!" Kyle protested.

"It is what you are. You're a despicable, useless tool now, serving only your own hunger for power and respect. You think you weren't respected before? You think you were powerless? What could possibly have been the reason for you to turn to the dark side?"

"It's a journey I have to make, Rahn, and you need not know my reasons. Nor does anyone else. I chose my path."

"You chose to kill Jan, the one woman you ever loved."

"No!" Kyle knew the scream had been an instinctive reaction. Not one he wanted to make. A lump had formed in his throat as Rahn forced the image of Jan into his mind. He watched her sit there. Waiting; trying to read his mind. Is he going to slay me or not? Surely, he wouldn't. Kyle forced back a tear as he saw his own lightsaber strike her down on the spot.

"A little late for regret," echoed Rahn's voice as he pulled Kyle back to the present. "You are now here with the scars on your soul. Ready to commit yet another act of terror. But don't forget… there are alternatives." The Force ghost dissolved into nothing and Kyle felt himself sink to his knees.

He never before realized how much he regretted killing Jan. He saw her face before him, almost as clearly as he once did. She smiled at him, as if nothing had happened.

"It's all right," said Mara softly.

Her voice made Jan disappear and Kyle noticed he had dropped a few tears and supported himself on his hands and knees. He quickly forced back his emotions and got up again. "No…," he breathed.

"Regret is the first step," spoke Mara. "Let me help you take the next."

"I can't go back…"

"Yes, you can!"

"You will never take me back… you will never understand…"

"Kyle… you will be forgiven and restored to your former status."

"You don't understand!" Kyle felt he was screaming now and felt the blood pumping in his head. "Do you think people would trust me? They've seen my true nature now. I'm a mindless killer! True scum!" Mara tried to object, but Kyle continued. "Jerec can give me all I need. With the power of the Valley under his command, you will all be vanquished from this galaxy. Resistance is pointless. You can better be on his side, if your aim is to survive. You should join _me_ , perhaps?"

Mara paused for a moment, then shook her head. "Surviving is not what life is about. It's about your actions, your mind, your beliefs, but more than anything it's about love. One's fluctuations with the Force, the ripples one sends…"

"If that is true, then I have messed up my life pretty badly. So now I have to choose. To live or die with the things I've done. I choose to live, Mara. What do you choose?"

"I choose neither to live, nor to die. I choose the Force, Kyle. Live and let live. If that path should lead me to my death, then so be it. It would be the way of the Force."

"The way of the Force…," echoed Kyle as his hand glided over his hilt. "Let's find out which one of us will die here… and have peace with the way of the Force." He hit the thumb switch and a bright red bar of energy came into existence.

Mara jumped up and stepped backwards. The sight of the fallen Jedi made her sad. She had failed to bring him back, but knew there was only one thing left to do. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She reopened them just in time to see the energy blade sink in her left shoulder. Did she scream? Did she cry? She couldn't perceive as her senses slowly faded.

Kyle looked down upon the body before him and let out a roar. Why did she not defend herself? How come she had such peace with the thought of dying? If she thought her sacrifice would do anything, she was wrong. He angrily kicked her lifeless body and soon after headed back to his ship; still puzzled.


	11. Chapter 9

Luke Skywalker looked up and spotted the stone towers of the temple above the treetops. Just a few more trees to pass until the temple would come into sight. But there was something different from the day before. He sensed another presence near the temple and knew what it meant. His location was now known to the Dark Jedi. It was only a matter of time until at least a few of them would show up. Not eager to avoid a painful confrontation, Luke calmly moved forward and soon witnessed the temple and its beautiful, ancient architecture. It was too dark to see clearly, but there were two torches near the main entrance that allowed Luke to notice that the light grey bricks on the temple wall were covered with moss. The structure had two big towers and an impressive main hall, as seen from the outside, but in front of the entrance was a stone plaza with several statues decorating it.

The Jedi heaved a sigh, briefly enjoyed the beautiful sight and then jumped up the plaza.

He quickly stood still on the spot. Something wasn't right. He expected the dark side of the Force to be strong here, but at the moment it was all around him. Luke closed his eyes and tried to create a field of light around him.

It worked, the density of dark Force energy decreased. Just as he was about to relax he felt the field clash with something solid. He opened his eyes to see what it was.

One of the statues collided with the light Force energy and decided to object. Slowly the arms moved and the statue jumped from its pedestal. Luke sensed more movement behind him and turned around. More of the statues had come to life and were now slowly closing in on him. They seemed to be depicting deceased Sith lords, as they all carried lightsabers. Luke hit the thumb switch on his own saber and saw the statues do likewise. He felt himself walk backwards and step off the edge of the plaza. As if called back, the statues walked back to their pedestals.

Luke immediately understood what this was all about. These statues, relying on a powerful dark energy source, guarded the temple entrance from anyone uninitiated.

He searched for a way to enter the temple without stepping on the plaza, but it was undoable. He decided to take his chances against the statues. After all, they we're statues, not living creatures and Luke concluded that to be to his advantage. He threw one foot on the plaza.

The few statues at the back that hadn't reached their places yet immediately turned around; the others jumped down again. Light flashed all around as lightsabers came to life. A quick look made Luke aware that there were six of them.

"Let's see if any of you are familiar with the ways of the Force, shall we?" he taunted. If his feelings did not betray him, these were simple animated objects, incapable of sending modified ripples through the Force. The dark side was still strong within them, possibly making them immune for the more simplistic actions, which Luke wisely decided not to test.

He lunged forward, clashed with two other sabers and formed a bubble of Force energy around him, which effectively knocked over two statues. Luke ended their activity with a quick slash and saw the other four increase their speed.

Two sabers came down upon him. Luke blocked the one and kicked away the other statue, causing its saber to miss him, even if only just. A random spin cut another statue in half and the other three didn't prove more of a challenge. Three slashes were exactly enough to turn them all into debris.

Luke observed the plaza to make sure they weren't revived and ascended the stairway to the gate. The large wooden gate was decorated with barely visible paintings of various Sith lords and their supposedly heroic actions.

But something wasn't right. The gate was open. Someone had been here shortly before him. Luke concluded it had to be a dark Jedi, since the statues were all intact when he got here, which indicated the person was strong with the dark side.

Carefully he peered through the gate and when the grassy square behind didn't seem to contain any signs of life he stepped through. Immediately he knew something was wrong, but before he could even sense what was going on he was being pushed rather roughly to his right, causing him to stumble and fall. The white danger responsible was a few feet away, growling and barking as it had two of its feet preparing for a second attack.

Luke quickly got up and saw the beast. It had a white, shiny fur, walked on four legs and had teeth the size of daggers. The eyes were bloodshot, as if fire ran right through them, and Luke tried to avoid the stare. If his memory served him right, this beast was a vornskr. Yoda had told him about them, but in all his journeys he had never seen one. They were one of the few non-sentient species that could actually use the Force in the way an untrained Force-sensitive sentient can. But they were not supposed to live in this system? Was this one imported? By whom? And why?

The vornskr launched another attack and jumped with Force-enhanced speed at his prey, who easily dodged it. A lightsaber came to life. The energy was reflected in the eye of the hunter. When was the last time such a bright blue crackling bar of energy popped up in front of his eyes? It was a moment of danger and help was required. The vornskr stood on its rear feet and let out an odd screeching noise.

Luke swore and felt more of them coming. He quickly dashed towards the screecher and stabbed his saber in its neck. The vornskr fell to the ground instantly, but the damage was done. The Jedi hit the thumb switch and decided to run over the grass, into the temple entrance, or so he figured.

The heavy stone door closed with a soft thud. Darkness surrounded him. He heard the bumping of the vornskrs against the other side of the door, but they weren't capable of opening it. Luke decided to descend into the darkness and find out the secrets of this temple, but not before he took a deep breath.

* * *

 _The Raven's Claw_ soared through space at light speed. Kyle decided to fly the ship himself and had turned off the droid, since its monotonic voice had started to annoy him. The confrontation had left a bitter taste in his mouth. Rahn's words were true. He is a despicable individual, but there's nothing he can change about that now. How he wished he could bring Jan back to life. But he knew so well there was absolutely no possibility to do so. And to what advantage? Jerec would think him a weak link in his army of Dark Jedi. Kyle longed for the one person capable of understanding him: Sariss. If only his ship could go any faster.

His senses commanded him to drop out of hyper speed and Kyle decided to obey. The reason why was easily found: a larger ship was parked along the route. The fallen Jedi sent a message through a com-channel and waited for an answer.

"Hello this is captain Tenoff of the freighter _Elaria_. State your business." The captain's voice sounded mute and rather rude.

"Hi there, captain!" Kyle barked at his headset microphone. "This is a special escort ship from Coruscant on an important mission carrying valuable cargo and in need of repairs."

It took almost a minute for the _Elaria_ to respond, but eventually the captain replied: "I see. What cargo are you carrying that makes your mission so important?"

"The Princess Prislana of Theed. We barely escaped Hutt territory as there is a big price on her head."

"Why is there a price on her head? And who hands out the reward?"

Kyle smiled. They were falling for it.

"Ga'Ma the Hutt. We broke into his jewellery room and took a large supply."

"Sure, come aboard. Our droid will escort you to your launch bay."

"Thank you, captain."

Kyle located the droid, locked on to its coordinates and set to autopilot.

* * *

Captain Tenoff was a short, fat man with a short little beard and goatee. He sat on his chair scratching his large nose and looked at his second-in-command.

"Ha-ha, Gelu," he grinned. "What a fool. As soon as they board we will take the jewels and turn in the Princess." He seemed quite pleased with himself as he reached in a bowl on the desk next to him and took out a handful of sweets.

Gelu, a dark, meager man who instantly loses his appetite once he's seen his superior, was a little less enthusiastic about the plan.

"I still don't trust it, boss."

"You're being ridiculous, Gelu!" barked the captain as he rammed his fist on the desk, causing the bowl of sweets to tremble.

"It's just a feeling of instinct, boss."

"You and your instincts…"

"I'm just saying, we should prey on easier targets, like naive merchants or lone wanderers…"

"I'm the boss, Gelu!" He rammed his fists on the desk again, but this time he accidentally hit the bowl of sweets, which was launched at least two meters away and landed on the durasteel floor, where it shattered to pieces. The sweets were everywhere. "Andru! Clean that up!" A long, pale man with long, black hair tied back in a ponytail blinked his one eye and turned to the shards. "Besides," continued Tenoff as he turned to Gelu again. "How easy do you want a target to be? This one comes right at us voluntarily!"

"And that's exactly what's bothering me, boss. He didn't say his name. He didn't say his ship's name. Who the blazes is princess Prislana? And why on earth would she be stealing jewellery from a Hutt crime lord? The story stinks, if you ask me." Gelu looked at his captain for a response, but quickly turned away in disgust after seeing him drinking his wine while spilling a bit of it on his chin.

"My dear Gelu," said Tenoff as he put down the empty cup. He quickly dried his chin. "You're seeing ghosts. You're talking rubbish. You're annoying me. Three reasons, right there, to pick myself a new second-in-command."

Gelu's eyes widened as he understood where this was going. Tenoff reached for his blaster, but clumsily dropped it when he tried to point it at Gelu, who was quicker and handier with his weapon and now pointed his at the captain.

"Mutiny!" shouted captain Tenoff.

Andru rose to his feet and observed the pair. Others came closer as well.

"Relax, Gelu," said one of them.

"Kill him! Come on! Burn his spine! Throw him into space!" But the shouts of the poor captain didn't find an answer. He soon realized and slowly lifted his hands into the air. "Traitors!"

"Do it!" Andru whispered in Gelu's ear. The latter obeyed and fired two shots; one at his belly and one at his head. The pace accelerated from here.

"Andru," said the now-captain Gelu. "You are my second-in-command now. You two," he pointed at two others. "Get rid of the mess here." He turned to everyone present. "Barthus and Helgo must be disposed of as well. See to it. Anyone else who openly supports Tenoff must leave this ship. Voluntarily or forcefully. Make sure everyone will get this message!"

Silently they broke apart and orders were given.

Gelu turned to Andru, who was still beside him and looked at him with his one eye. "This ship that is coming to our launch bay… it must be stopped. Blow it to pieces."

"Aye," replied Andru and blinked his eye.

* * *

Myther shivered. The doors would open soon and he would have to shoot the male passenger and kidnap the other. He glanced sideways at Barthus, Paulo and Zetu, who didn't seem to care much. For them this was a routine robbery of course. It wasn't their first time, like it was Myther's.

Suddenly the door opened. Not the door to where the ship would soon be, but from behind. Andru burst in, drew his blaster, shot Barthus in the head and gestured the others to come to him. "Things have changed. There's a new plan. We're blowing the ship to pieces, come on!"

They only just turned around to follow Andru back to the hallway when the ship appeared through the window to the launch bay.

"What now, Andru?" asked Myther as he pointed at the ship.

"Alright, now we're going to kill them. There's no other option. Let's move in."

They turned around again and entered the launch bay. The small ship just landed when they drew nearer. Zetu suggested to split up. They agreed.

"I trust you can handle this? I've got another task from Gelu," asked Andru. Paulo rose his thumb at which Andru reacted by going back.

The small ship opened at the rear side, which was impossible to see from where the three pirates were positioned. Zetu took the lead and crawled by the side of the ship, while gesturing Myther to cover him.

Something crackled. The sound did not seem familiar, but it came from inside the ship. A soft hum followed and the smell of ozone penetrated his nostrils. Myther heard something hit the floor behind him. He turned around to see Paulo dead. He tried to call Zetu, but when he turned back he found that he also lay motionless to the floor. Panic began to strike and Myther decided to run back, away from this vessel. He rose to his feet and sprinted back to the door through which they came, but suddenly he felt something burn at his thigh and lost his balance. When he looked back he wished he didn't. A figure wielding a lightsaber picked up what once was Myther's right lower leg from the floor. A dark grin appeared on his face.

* * *

Andru violently opened the door to Gelu's quarters.

"Too late, the ship is here," uttered Gelu, as if in trance. Andru found him sitting on a pillow with his eyes closed. It wasn't the first time. Gelu was often found meditating.

"How do you know?" asked the one-eyed man.

"I know… I see… Prepare us an escape pod."

Andru turned around, but someone else came through the door and a bar of pure energy hit him in the other eye. He screamed and blind as he was tried to hit anything in his path. The intruder finished him by beheading him and now approached Gelu.

"Stop," Gelu demanded. Kyle didn't listen. The captain raised his voice. "Stop right there, Katarn!"

Kyle stopped, surprised at how he knew who he was. He stared deeply into the dark man's bright green eyes and recognized a pattern of energy around him. The longer he waited, the more difficult this would become, he reckoned, and eventually swung his saber at Gelu, who dropped dead upon losing his head.

Kyle quickly ran to the bridge, cleared the area and checked the hyperdrive specifications. As he expected, this ship was capable of travelling at least four times faster than the _Claw_. He entered the coordinates of Dromund Kaas and activated the auto-pilot. He would arrive today if his calculations were correct.

"Now," he said to himself. "To make sure the ship is truly empty…" And he ran back to other areas of the ship.

* * *

Luke dwelled in the dark temple for at least an hour without finding anything. It didn't take that long for his eyes to get used to the darkness, but somehow he had the idea he was walking in circles. He felt very little connection with the Force down here. The dark side was strong and at some point, Luke could almost see the Force nexus. That was his goal in the first place. Never before had he witnessed a nexus of the Force so strong that it was visible for the bare eye and intact even years after it has been used. That latter bit was doubtful now, since Luke knew there was somebody else in the temple. He could not concentrate enough to find that person and found himself lost in the labyrinth of hallways, caverns and tunnels.

He sat down for a moment and closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind. He took a deep breath and exhaled very slowly. The Jedi repeated that a few more times.

When he opened his eyes again, the temple was different. The darkness was still there, as were the hallways and tunnels, but they weren't the same. It made more sense now.

Carefully he continued his search. He felt as if being watched from almost every angle, but since no-one showed up he decided it was one of the many tricks the dark Force energy played on him. He entered a cavern he didn't remember seeing before. Inside, multiple statues were cut out of the rocky walls. He didn't pay attention to them, but soon learned that was a mistake.

The statues came to life like on the plaza and Luke felt the need to close his eyes when he activated his saber to shield them from the bright bar of green light. He felt the statues attack and blocked accordingly. They weren't much of a challenge even though they wielded lightsabers as well. Dark Force energy animated them, but didn't train them in the arts of duelling, making them somewhat clumsy opponents.

When the last one was degraded to debris, Luke quickly followed the cavern into a new room, containing a steep stairs upward. Having ascended it the Jedi found himself in another chamber, with a lit torch in each corner. Again it was empty. The pathway split in three and Luke decided to cross the room to the hallway opposite the one through which he had come. He followed it as it curved to the left and led to another chamber, but this one had a hole in the ceiling through which light came. What could be up there? Without hesitating he jumped through it and landed in the room above. Two statues showed movement and Luke crushed their hopes of winning with a slash of the saber.

The choice was between two hallways, Luke randomly picked one. It curved to the left again and stairs took him one level lower. He reached a large, circular open space. Luke figured he had reached the inner templar domain. The immensely large hall contained four balcony-like platforms like the one on which he stood, with a wide gap in between. The other edges were too far to jump to. The walls held paintings of long forgotten battles involving the ancient Sith armies. Luke peered over the edge. He couldn't see what was beneath, but he could feel it. Pure Force energy awaited him down there…

Suddenly he saw something on one of the other platforms. A person… A woman stood there, dressed in black. When Luke noticed her, she gently stepped back until darkness concealed her form.

Of the two openings in the wall on the platform, Luke entered the second one. He crawled through a small, cavernous tunnel before he reached another room with paintings on the wall. He felt a chilly breeze and couldn't help noticing a soft roar on the far side of the room. His hand wrapped itself around his saber.

The vornskr jumped out from the darkness and even though the Jedi dodged the attack, he succeeded in scratching his face. Energy crackled, a flash of light occurred and the beast fell dead to the ground.

It seemed they found an alternative way in, Luke reckoned. He carefully trod into the chamber ahead and took two more vornskrs out as they jumped right into his lightsaber. The sequence of rooms and their connecting hallways followed a curve around the large, circular space Luke saw before.

After a few more of those same rooms, of which some contained another vornskr, Luke reached the circular space again. The platform on which he stood before was now on his right. The one on which the woman stood was on his left. She was there, waiting for him to come.

He quickly continued through the second opening connecting this platform to the one with the woman and ended up in a large room containing steep stairs downward. He obeyed the route, knowing he had to go upward somewhere to get back on the same level. The stairs were long and descending them seemed like an eternity. The walls around him grew closer the further he got and the air got thinner. Where would this lead to?

Finally the soil felt even again. Luke sensed movement around him, but couldn't detect what was causing it. As he carefully trod into the dark and sombre room he had now reached, he felt the boiling activity within the Force nexus. Either someone was using the energy right now or somehow it used the energy itself.

Luke took a right turn around a corner and accidentally bumped into something solid. He activated his lightsaber to shine some light on the obstacle and hastily took a step back. It was a coffin. As he looked around he noticed coffins all around the room. This was a tomb.

The coffin he had bumped into made a soft creaking noise. A soft light emerged from within and the lid slowly glided to the side until it fell on the ground. A spirit rose from the coffin and made a soft screeching noise.

Luke didn't want to observe it any closer and started looking for an emergency exit as he heard more lids creak. There, somewhere on the side of the room that should be facing the circular space, if Luke's sense of direction didn't abandon him, there was an opening in the wall. The Jedi ran for it and felt the spirits follow him.

A quick turn left was required. Luke increased his pace and reached a long chamber with a soft light at the end of it. The spirit closest to him gave a foul smell as it shrieked. The long chamber gave the spirits room to catch up on him and before he realized, they had surrounded him.

Some of them raised their hands and electricity sparks appeared around their decomposed fingers. Luke knew this was no good and half jumped, half crawled underneath the circle of spirits that had gathered around him. When he got to his feet outside of the circle he rose his lightsaber just in time to block the rays of lightning shot at him. To his relief some of it backfired at the spirits, causing some of them to dissolve into nothing.

He turned back to run further to the spot of light that was still not close enough to jump to. It seemed like some kind of elevation platform, judging by the shaft behind it and the platform far up above that had been interrupted by a hole that seemed exactly the size and form of the elevator. The spirits would have to be gone. Luke turned around and walked backwards while hitting with his saber and blocking more electricity. The saber was dodged and the spirits soon figured the lightning would be their own downfall, so they split up, leaving Luke standing still, wondering where they've gone to.

The footsteps in the room seemed to have awoken more than just spirits. Luke sensed two new animated statues right behind him and turned around to face them. Unlike the spirits, they did not think and dug their own grave as a saber chopped them down to size.

Luke carefully looked around. He couldn't see the spirits, but he sensed they were there, waiting for an opportunity to attack. The Jedi shivered and slowly went for the elevator. It was all too clear that his presence was not welcome in this temple. The dark energy provided from the Force nexus called upon vornskrs, animated statues and reanimated the undead spirits of the Sith to stop him from reaching the centre of the temple.

As soon as one foot was set on the elevator it commenced its ascent, causing Luke to lose his balance and fall off. He quickly got back on his feet and jumped up just in time for the elevator to get out of reach.

That's when the spirits saw their chances. They dived on him like predators on their prey. Luke reached for his saber but realized he must have dropped it when he got off balance. He dodged the first few spirits and lay down on his belly while peering over the edge. The lightsaber was indeed on the ground. Luke extended his hand and allowed the Force to bring him the saber, but the spirits intervened. One of them took Luke by the foot and shoved him over the edge.

Electricity was shot now the saber was gone and Luke's scream as he fell down sounded rather mute. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his surroundings. The ground wasn't hard. It was what he wanted it to be, how he made the Force shape it to be. The floor was like a cushion. It felt soft and warm, but bounced him upward as well. Halfway back he caught the saber, hit the thumb switch and on his way slashed multiple spirits in half.

He caught the edge of the elevator in one hand and attempted to pull himself up. One look upward told him to hurry. The upper platform was nearly reached and if he were to get caught between the elevator and the platform… But he was on time.

The upper platform stretched along the wall and featured a small bridge to the other side. Luke got off the elevator. A few more spirits gathered here, but seemed aware of his saber again.

"Go back to your graves," suggested Luke. They simply floated around him, not listening to his words. Luke repeated the suggestion, but this time he made it sound far more persuasive. His words echoed throughout the large room.

One of the spirits seemed to listen and approached Luke from mid-air. He seemed to whisper something very softly. As he came closer it became more audible. Luke couldn't see a face. Most of what was supposed to be its face was covered by a dark hood. Eventually the Jedi could distinguish the words he heard.

"The grave is yours," breathed the spirit.

Luke didn't have time to argue with the dead Sith lord. He lunged his saber right through the spirit's head and saw it dissolve into nothing. He expected the others to jump in on him, but to his surprise they merely floated down and disappeared through the opening through which they had chased him before.

After making sure they really didn't return, Luke crossed the bridge to a new room with two lit torches to the wall and turned left through an opening, which led him to the large circular space again.

He was now on the balcony-like platform where he had seen the woman, but where had she gone? As with any other of these balconies, this one too had a second opening in the wall. Luke entered it and followed a curvy and unstable stairs down to another room. How big was this place? The room held four pillars in the middle and only one other connecting hallway.

Luke didn't have to go as far as that to find what he was looking for. From behind the far right pillar emerged the woman he saw before.

"How brave of you to go this deep inside the lion's den, Skywalker," she taunted. As light fell upon her Luke noticed her face was young. She wore all-leather clothing and emitted a sense of strictness. She seemed vaguely familiar from pictures Luke had once seen, but he couldn't recall where or why he'd seen them.

"Who are you?" It was the next logical question. She seemed hostile in appearance, but the question sounded rather compulsory to Luke; as if proper introduction was somehow required.

"The question is not who I am," she uttered as she slowly drew nearer. "The question is why. And the answer is almost too easy you can guess it yourself."

"I assume you're here to stop me?" he made it sound like a question, but knew very well that this was the truth.

"Correct, Skywalker," she said. Her left hand slowly stroke the hilt hanging from her belt.

"Short and to the point," smirked the Jedi. "I do agree this is not the ideal place for conversation." He hit the thumb switch and held the saber in front of him. "Let's get on with it."


	12. Chapter 10

"Unidentified freighter, this is the imperial starship _Double Thorn_. You are currently trespassing prohibited star systems. Be gone or face the consequences."

Kyle swore and quickly grabbed his headset.

"Hi there _Double Thorn_ , this is Kyle Katarn." He heard the disturbed chatter on the other side of the channel, but carried on. "There's no time to explain right now why I'm in this ship, but listen, whoever you are. Tell captain Zegemor I'll be off to the surface to find Sariss. Blow this ship to pieces once you see the _Raven's Claw_ emerge from it… it's a mess in here."

They seemed to talk it through on the other side, but eventually a quick "Roger that, Kyle" finished the conversation and allowed Kyle to leave the _Elaria_. He stepped over a body and almost slipped in a pool of blood, but managed to hold his balance by grabbing the banisters. As he opened the launch bay and entered the _Claw_ , he realized how indifferent he had become to the horrific slaughter he had committed. Was Mara Jade wrong in her assumptions that there was still good in Kyle? The fallen Jedi thought so and now that he consciously wasn't bothered by his actions he thought it confirmed his thoughts.

It was really bad weather on Dromund Kaas. Lightning flashed and rain poured down as Kyle tried to keep his ship steady. He spotted Luke's X-wing a few yards from the temple. His former friend seemed to have had to travel quite some distance to his goal. Where had Sariss parked her vessel? Kyle circled around the temple for a few minutes. He spotted debris from the _Elaria_ fall down in the jungle below. That's when he spotted a ship within the temple grounds, but it wasn't Sariss's. Kyle decided to land next to it.

"Katarn! What are you doing here?"

The wind was blowing like mad and the rain splattered on the swampy soil. Maw approached from the other ship and grabbed Kyle by the shoulder.

"Why are you here? Jerec sent you to Rodia!"

"I've been there! Let's find Sariss!" He had to shout the words to make Maw understand it.

"No! Jerec said she had to do it alone!"

"We are a team! Jerec said I had to help her once I was done! Let's get inside!"

Kyle ran to the temple doors and tried to open them. They were jammed. Maw had caught up with him and his huge hands again grabbed him by the shoulders.

"You are not going to help her, Katarn!"

"Get your hands off me!" Kyle freed himself from Maw's grip. "I'm going to assist her in this whether you like it or not. Don't make me fight you!"

"Fool!" bellowed Maw. "Don't you understand you would only make things worse?"

"How?" shouted Kyle.

"Sariss is strong, Katarn! But you make her weak! Stay away from her!"

Kyle paused for a minute and looked around in panic. He made her weak? How could that be? Love made him stronger. Surely that would be the same for her?

"How is that possible?" murmured Kyle.

"What?!" The rain got even harder.

"That's impossible!"

"Come on!" Maw gestured Kyle to follow him. The muscled Boltrunian floated to a different part of the temple wall and unveiled another entrance. They quickly got inside.

"It's no use trying to talk out there…," grunted Maw. "Now, understand this. Whatever foolish thing you two have going on, you must end it."

"End what?"

"Don't pretend you don't know, Katarn. If you don't hear what I say, you go in there."

"I can go now?"

"Yes, go in there and see what happens. Maybe it is the only way to teach you how useless those feelings are."

"No!" Kyle sighed. How could he possibly explain feelings Maw could never understand? "You have no idea what it feels like t…"

"To love?" The words had a mocking sound to them. "Oh, Katarn, I know enough about it to know it weakens you. If you two weren't in such crucial functions you would not have seen me trying to stop you, but you are Dark Jedi of Jerec! You can't afford to weaken your powers!" He had raised his crunchy voice.

"Love is a virtue! A strength!" Kyle shouted.

"Prove it! Go in there and love her! Destroy Skywalker with love!"

"Yes! I will show you!" Kyle hurried agitatedly into the temple whilst letting out a roar of anger. Maw followed.

"Are you crazy?!" he bellowed. "Get back here!" But Kyle was determined and ran down a variety of stairs, climbed through a wide spectrum of holes and Maw had little choice but to follow.

It was hard to tell how long it took them to travel the same route that Luke had gone before, but when they arrived the clashing of lightsabers indicated the fight was still on.

"Where are you, coward?" shouted Sariss. They'd been duelling for hours now without an end in sight. This was not about skill, but about stamina. For how long could this go on?

"I'm right here," a tranquil voice sounded behind her. She turned around with a scream and found her saber blocked by Luke and her vision blinded. In response she jumped backwards and rolled even further backwards as Luke lunged forward. She managed to delay the Jedi by throwing some dust in his face, which gave her a few seconds to regain her pose.

As she raised her saber again, she suddenly felt a presence drawing near; a presence that made her feel happy. She instantly dropped her saber and forced the happiness out. There was no room for such distraction during a duel.

"Is that a surrender?" asked Luke as he gestured to the hilt on the floor. Sariss quickly regained herself, allowed the hilt to float back to her hand and hit the thumb switch. She flew at him and almost knocked him off balance, if not for the pillar that kept him from falling.

Sabers clashed for a few more minutes and then they paused again. Both were exhausted.

"What are we going to do? Battle till one of us collapses of fatigue?" Luke asked.

"You will have died before I collapse, Skywalker!"

She felt another attack was meant to occur, but she felt the Force poke in her back and as if necessary turned around to find Kyle approaching from the far side of her line of sight.

"No!" Kyle froze on the spot as he saw Luke taking advantage of Sariss's distraction. His saber emerged from her chest and her mouth fell open as her body sunk to the floor.

A large, firm hand landed on Kyle's shoulder.

"Do you now see what you have done?"

Rage took possession of Kyle's mind. He roughly pushed Maw aside and ran full speed at Luke, who welcomed his former friend with a smile.

Even though Kyle had already activated his lightsaber, Luke knew he was not going to attack him just like that.

"Hello, Kyle." His voice sounded calm and warm. "Have you come to finish what you started?"

"What I started?" Kyle was confused at what to say. He wanted to tear him apart, but he couldn't remember why.

"You do know you have a choice, don't you, Kyle? Of course, you can spend your current flow of anger on killing me, if that is what you want, but you can still return to the light."

"There is no way back, Skywalker!"

"Think who you're talking to. My father is the living proof."

"What makes you think I'll turn back before my death?"

Luke smirked and slowly strolled across the cavernous room. He stopped when he reached Sariss's body.

"This" – he pointed at her lifeless body – "is why you can come back, Kyle."

"You couldn't be more mistaken." Kyle suddenly felt the anger return and remembered why he wanted Luke dead.

"Oh, no, I'm certain about it," continued Luke. "You still know how to love and that path leads to the light. It is not too late."

"Cut the crap!" bellowed Maw, who had decided to approach the two as he was expecting them to fight. "Kill him, Katarn!"

"Listen to his voice," Luke said with a raised voice. "Or listen to your heart. Have faith in yourself, Kyle. I know I have faith in you."

"Katarn," Maw took him by the shoulders and shook him. "He killed Sariss! You loved her! It is only natural that you kill him now. He's just trying to get away with it unpunished! Kill him!"

Kyle closed his eyes for a moment and looked from the one to the other. Both had a valid point, but his mind was blank. Filled with rage was he, but he couldn't make any sense of it… To whom it was directed was unsure. Maw made aggressive gestures, while Luke simply mouthed "…your heart…"

He stared at Sariss's body for a moment and knew that his only chance of turning back to the light was sealed off now. Luke felt the change inside Kyle and raised his saber before Maw even noticed Kyle jumping at him.

Luke blocked the attack with great effort. The strength of the swing almost knocked him off balance.

Their sabers remained locked for a while and Luke caught Kyle's eye.

"You don't want to do this, Kyle," he spoke with the most calm of voices. "You know you are better than this. Trying to kill me is a lost cause."

"Are you saying trying to kill you is pointless?"

"It's not like you will succeed."

Kyle broke the lock, dodged a swing and gave a blind kick in Luke's direction. He heard the fall and felt his enemy was unarmed. He walked up to him and pointed his saber at his chest.

"I won't succeed, you say? Pride comes before the fall."

Without waiting for an answer, he lunged forward and hit Luke in his heart. The Jedi stopped moving instantly. Kyle heard a loud cheer from Maw, who had observed the fight, but he ignored it. He hurried to Sariss's body and realized he was shaking all over. He lifted her head and silently wept.

"Get up, you baby boy!" growled Maw. "This is victory! We must celebrate. Take the body of Sariss and we'll return it to Jerec on Edusa for proper burial. Meanwhile, I want you to laugh and cheer! Luke Skywalker is dead!" Maw let out a high-pitched shriek of laughter not common for his usual low-pitched barks.

Kyle did not feel like cheering. He was unsure what his tears were for. Did he weep for the loss of Sariss? Or was he more troubled by the fact that he killed Luke Skywalker; a former friend and mentor and the pride of the New Republic? Questions filled his mind. Ethical questions. Feelings of doubt.

Maw sensed it, but merely sighed and shrugged.

"Come on, you." Kyle tried to lift Sariss's body, but his strength had forsaken him. Maw quickly grabbed her body, threw it senselessly over his shoulder and hurried towards the hall through which they had come.

Kyle followed numbly. Did he have a choice? Not anymore. By killing Luke Skywalker his path to the light had been sealed off forever. Though he had made that choice consciously before, the realization that the way back was indeed sealed off seemed to make him a little frightened. Jerec could help him. He had answers for everything.

They reached the ships a few moments later. The rain had stopped, but the sky was still roaring.

"It won't take long before another storm is coming," concluded Maw as he sniffed with his face to the sky. "Let's go." Maw disappeared with the body into his ship. Kyle could only image how he'd treat it: like cargo. If Maw was unaffected by feelings of loss, grief or sadness after the death of a companion, then maybe Kyle wasn't evil enough?

The engine of Maw's ship, the _Space Devil_ – he had named the ship himself –, began to roar and Kyle hurried into his own ship to start the engines.

"Kyle," sounded Maw's voice through the com-channel. "I'm contacting Jerec right now to report to him. We're heading to Edusa. Let's go."

* * *

Leia Organa Solo walked through the academy training grounds. Her mind wandered off to many different places. Where would Han be? She missed him, even though they contacted each other many times. She felt alone on Yavin IV. The scenery was beautiful, though swampy, and the padawans were very kind, but a lot younger. Where were all the adult Jedi? Where was this so called Na-quam? And who was this Petiimark? Had Mara-Jade found Kyle Katarn? And why had Luke left for such a strange place in the midst of these dangerous times?

Something felt wrong. Very wrong. She couldn't place it, but she knew it. She felt it. She wasn't trained in the ways of the Force, but she had learned to accept that she could feel the ripples it sent. In other words, she had learned to trust her instincts. What she didn't know, and what frustrated her, was what exactly was wrong. Something felt out of place, but she couldn't tell what.

"Is there something wrong, princess?"

Leia turned to her left and met Vidomina's eyes. She had beautiful eyes of the brightest green. The contrast it made with her dark hair added to her mystic image.

"Use your senses, Vidomina. Can you give me the answer yourselves perhaps?"

The girl, approximately fourteen years of age, closed her eyes and nodded. When she opened her eyes, Leia noticed tears had cropped up.

"What is it?" she demanded.

Vidomina shrugged.

"Leia! Princess Leia!" A boy with dark skin and dark hair came running towards her from the academy. "You should go inside quickly! There's a message from Mon Mothma!"

Without further inquiry Leia hurried inside, locked herself in Luke's office and turned on the communication screen.

Mon Mothma appeared. "Leia, I regret to inform you something terrible has happened. We just got a major system hack and the following message was displayed all over Coruscant, Ord Mantell and Corellia. We will send you the message now."

The supreme chancellor faded from the screen. Leia was left with questions. Why did she not tell her what was going on?

The screen went dark and a new figure popped up. It was a balding man in a deep black suit with red shoulder plates. The eyes were concealed by a leather strap and from the corners of his mouth ran small snake-shaped tattoos that seemed to move as if alive. The image scared Leia.

"Greetings, citizens of the New Republic." The voice sounded cold and thin. "This mess the galaxy is in has gone on for too long. You'll agree with me that recent developments in trying to overthrow the final remains of Palpatine's Empire have not improved the well-fare of the citizens as well as was expected. The New Republic is underfunded, lacks firepower and has no charisma. They pledge for the equality of all planetary systems and for democracy, but take ages for a decision to come out. Do we really want to return to the old ways where every decision took a year?

"The time has come to establish a government that can stand its own. Coruscant will soon be taken. A new empire will rise. And this emperor will not be defeated by Luke Skywalker." A grin appeared on his face. "For he is dead."

The figure faded and Mon Mothma reappeared. She hesitated a little in what to say next. Leia didn't pay attention to her. Her brother was just pronounced dead… dead? She couldn't believe it… she didn't _want_ to believe it… but she knew the balding figure was right. She felt it.

"Leia, I'm sorry for your loss," the Supreme Chancellor interrupted her thoughts. "And I don't want to sound insensitive, but I think you should stay at the academy. You'll at least be safe."

"Safe from what?"

"From this Jerec. If he's coming for Coruscant, then that's where all our troops will be, including myself. But there is no way he can get to the location of the academy before he conquers the planet, so you'll be safe."

"You don't think he can take the planet? But if he's been to the Valley of the Jedi…"

"Stop it, Leia. There are no more Jedi left to defend us. Fairytales such as the Valley of the Jedi must not be exaggerated for the sake of the morale of our soldiers. We must have faith in the Republic."

Mon faded from the screen. Leia sighed for a moment and then burst into tears.


	13. Chapter 11

"What are we doing here, sir?" asked one of the men.

Han Solo turned around and looked at the young face. The man, or boy, as he was approximately twenty years old, was one of the many new recruits that had joined the army of the New Republic after the threat of Jerec that was aired a couple of days ago. What were they doing there?

"We are still waiting for the Imperials to show up, son. They can be here any minute." The boy returned to his post slightly disappointed. Han couldn't blame him. They were scared to death. After that threat a lot of men and women, young and old, from all species, signed up for the army. The first two days there was a good atmosphere as well. They were enthusiastic and driven. Mon Mothma had told Han in private about how inexperienced they were, but how they at least were motivated.

Four days have elapsed since. Some were starting to doubt the credibility of the threat. Four days since the warships have lined up in orbit of Coruscant, awaiting a major offense by the Imperials. They knew it was going to happen, but they didn't know when. If Han had known Jerec wasn't going to rush his plans, he could have visited Leia one more time. He had to explain to her through screen communication how it was impossible for him to leave. He had to promise her it'd be alright, even though he secretly doubted they'd win the fight.

The men couldn't see how he really felt. They looked up to him. 'The man who fought the battles of Yavin and Endor.' It was his job as it was any commander's job to maintain a good spirit.

"I'm going down to the armoury. Let me know if anything happens." The second-in-command nodded and assumed a spot in front of the bridge, near the transparisteel window.

As Han hurried down the halls of the _Supreme Cannon_ , he felt a cool wind blow his face. He wasn't sure if he was just tense or utterly bored. Mon Mothma had spread the veterans and the experienced fighters thinly among the many ships. He had no equal man to talk to on this ship. No one to converse with; no one to carry his load; no one to ask for advice. It's not to say all of the men were inexperienced. Surely there were a couple of dozen men that were part of the army for a longer period, but somehow Han only knew one or two of them vaguely by face.

"If that isn't general Han Solo! Hey there, buddy!" said a familiar voice. Han looked up and saw Tristan Bolden walk at him with an extended hand. He shook it absently and meant to walk on, but the com-officer stopped him.

"Come on, Han. We haven't had a good chat in ages and I'd say we haven't got anything really important going on right now anyway. I'm just on my way to the canteen. Why don't you join me for a good cup of coffee?"

Han sighed for a moment. He really didn't want to talk to this man, but realised he couldn't decline all the time and he just had no excuse, so he said: "Why not, I guess."

The ship's canteen was relatively small compared to the ship's total magnitude and crew capacity. Tristan led him to a vacant table and sat down, asking the waiter-droid that just passed by for two coffee.

"So, general, how's things going?"

"The usual. You?"

Tristan seemed to chew a little on his cheek, looked thoughtfully and suddenly changed his tone. "Look, Han, I see you're worried. You have all reason for it. Half our army is based on nitwits with no experience whatsoever and our enemy has superpowers, or so the rumour goes. I would only think it strange if you managed to stay in good spirits in such a situation."

Han eyed the man opposite him and lifted an eyebrow. "Do you believe rumours?"

Tristan waved away that remark and added: "That's not important. The men's morale is decreasing by the hour. The question is, will we actually be able to stand against such an overwhelming power? Don't you think many lives will be wasted?"

"Where is this going?" barked Han. He didn't like the sound of this one bit.

"Don't you agree with me lives should be saved when there is a possibility of doing so?"

General Solo just looked at the com-officer without replying. The waiter-droid brought two cups of coffee to the table. Tristan instantly grabbed his cup and took a sip, although he quickly retracted his mouth as a reflex.

"Hot! I keep forgetting that, heh."

Han kept looking distrustfully at him.

"What I'm saying, Han, is that the fight doesn't have to take place. We don't have to die. There is an alternative!"

"Surrender? You're asking me to surrender?" He knew he sounded aggressive, but he didn't care.

"Well, 'surrendering' sounds so… pathetic, don't you agree? I was thinking more… we could instead become friends with this Jerec and possibly negotiate a favourable deal?"

"Did you just suggest we should take sides with that Jerec? With the Imperials? Are you seriously openly considering defection?!" He had raised his voice and other people in the canteen were now looking their direction.

"Come on, Han, I thought you would see the brilliance of it."

"See these men, Tristan!" Han was now shouting and he had stood up. "See these young faces that so eagerly joined the army to defend the New Republic from the evil Dark Jedi! And you dare speak of defection?! You dare suggest to crawl before this Imperial scum?! I should throw you into jail for this treason!"

"Oh come on, Han!" Tristan stood up too, feeling slightly uneasy with all the attention. "You know me for such a long time, you will not do that to me, will you?"

"You are just as cowardly as when we were still working for Jabba, Bolden." Han directed his speech at the surrounding crowd. "People who are loyal to the New Republic, do we all know why we are the New Republic? Because we have fought against tyranny! We defeated the Empire! We have stopped the Imperials before and we can do it again! Yes, we might not have Luke Skywalker with us today, but we do have this!" He put his hand on his chest. "As long as there's something beating in this body, I will continue to fight Imperial tyranny! If there's anyone else considering defection to the Imperials, considering to give up all that we've established in the past two years, feel free to leave this ship! But to those who believe in freedom, who believe in democracy, who are proud to be a citizen of the New Republic, I call upon your arms to fight with me until your dying day to protect freedom!"

The increasing magnitude of the crowd waited to make sure he was done before they burst into loud cheers and applause. Han smiled contently and turned to Tristan again, who looked ashamed as he drank from his coffee.

Suddenly red light was flashing and sirens sounded. "Incoming fighters. To battle stations!" sounded through the intercom.

The crowd split up and with renewed spirit they occupied their positions. Han quickly took Tristan by the head and violently rammed his face on the table. The com-officer screamed in pain as blood was all over his face.

"You broke my nose, you son of a -" Before he could finish his sentence Han took his cup of hot coffee and emptied it on Tristan's face, which caused more screams.

"Take him to the hospital," he ordered the waiter-droid.

* * *

Leia shifted uneasily on her chair. Her head wasn't calm. It has been a couple of days since she was ordered to stay at the Academy and she was not only bored and lonesome, she hated how things were happening or going to happen in Coruscant and that she couldn't be there to do anything about it. It wasn't the way she liked things to be. She ought to be with the people of Coruscant to raise their spirits.

Gradually, the few Jedi that were left had dripped in one by one. It at least gave her a sense of safety. Although the padawans were well-trained, the oldest of them all was aged fourteen and stood next to no chance to an army of well-armed stormtroopers. The arrival of some of the most skilled type of warriors at least gave her some adult company as well.

Petiimark was the first to arrive. He was a tall, skinny Jedi from the planet of Bothawui. Leia had only seen him a couple of times, in which he wore blue robes. He was never in for long conversation and he always seemed busy. Apparently, he had been to Ord Mantell for some sort of mission he did not wish to elaborate on, and now seemed to be very concerned about the construction of the Academy.

The second Jedi that came back from a mission was an older padawan known as Rosh Penin. He was a tall Human with slightly gold-coloured eyes and spiky hair and frowned upon the question of where he originated from. He just returned from Dathomir and had defeated a group of Remnants single-handedly, if he were to be believed. He was more talkative, but he preferred spending time on his own or training other padawans.

The third and fourth Jedi came in together after having been on a joint mission to the fifth moon of Ithor, where one of the Dark Jedi previously known as a member the Emperor's Hand was supposedly hidden. They had concluded however that the moon was abandoned. One of them was a Rodian called Protaki and the other was an Aqualish girl named Eganda Vond. They were a joyful pair as they arrived laughing and joking all the way.

The last of the Jedi to arrive was Na-quam, an elderly man with his moderately long, grey hair and a grey goatee. Apparently he came back from his mission defeated by the Remnants on Trandosha. This failure made him more accessible to Leia and he was an easy man to talk to. His thoughtful exterior and his experience gave the impression of a wise man.

"To assume you are safer here than on Coruscant is arguably so," he confirmed. "But the location of our Academy cannot stay hidden for long. Jerec is a powerful Force to be reckoned with, he'll get his information if he really wants it." The man stroke his goatee. "When hell breaks loose, you'll be no safer here than on Coruscant. All is in preparation for a possible attack. Petiimark is looking for the best ways to defend this building. We need an escape route as well. I suggest you choose that path when the fighting here begins."

"You are expecting them to come here, then?"

"Undoubtedly so. With the loss of Luke and Mara Jade we have been weakened a lot. Jerec will now seek to destroy the rest of us."

"Coruscant will need your help."

"Mon Mothma has not made any contact with us since the death of your brother and we will have to defend our own territory for now." He got up and found a coffeemaker machine on the table. "Coffee?" he asked. Leia declined the offer.

"I'd much rather be there in Coruscant, to be honest."

"I understand." He sat down again, holding a large cup of coffee. "I think I would feel the same way if I were in your position."

"Then why am I told to stay here? I have an important position in the New Republic, I have my duties!"

"There are two things you can do: the first is to contact Mon Mothma again and explain your situation; the second is to leave for Coruscant without her consent." He took a sip from his coffee and closed his eyes. Leia knew he was right. Without too much hesitation, she jumped up and hurried to the communication screens to contact Mon Mothma.

It took a while until the Supreme Chancellor herself appeared on the screen, but when she did she wasn't happy.

"What is it, Leia?"

"I'm asking your permission to come to Coruscant."

"Denied."

"Why?" She knew she sounded impatient, but she really hated it when Mon was so blunt.

"As I said, you'll be safe."

"Why would I want to be safe? My position is with the people!"

"Wrong, Leia! Your position is with the New Republic! You're not the only capable person I ordered into hiding. We need capable leaders to survive in case we don't."

Leia couldn't believe her ears. "Wh… what? You're actually assuming you'll lose?"

"Leia, we must be realistic here. We will of course do our very best to win, but Jerec has a power none of us can understand. I have taken precautions that all of you are safe and in different places so that resistance will always be there!"

"I can't believe this…"

"I know it's not fun to hear, but Jerec has marched through planetary systems too easily. Even the warrior race of Mandalore was subdued within a few days. And while you're there… the battle of Coruscant has begun!"

"How's Han?!" She instinctively cried.

"He's fine. As commander of the _Supreme Cannon_ he led us to victory in the first strike. There's no sign of Jerec's destroyer though."

"Keep me posted, please."

"I will as much as I am allowed. Mothma out."

The screen faded to black.

* * *

Kyle stood there, tall and proud. He had seen a lot since that day on Dromund Kaas. It had changed him. He felt good. He had traded his dirty farmer's clothes for firm black leather that suited the inside of the ship _Vengeance_. He glanced sideways at Boc, who danced a little around the bridge, ordering officers around impatiently. Even further away stood Yun, who avoided contact with Kyle mostly. Kyle wondered why. But the man who sat in the chair in front of the bridge was no one else but Jerec. To Kyle's surprise, Jerec had not been angry over the loss of Sariss for one second. Perhaps he grieved silently, but he didn't let anybody know.

"At least now you know what disastrous things flow from love," he had said when Kyle had walked into his office with bowed down head.

They had buried Sariss in the backyard of Jerec's mansion on Edusa. Kyle had noticed that Yun spent a lot of time by her grave to meditate.

"She was his mentor," Maw had explained.

But now they were all aboard the _Vengeance_ , witnessing Jerec's crusade through the galaxy.

"Admiral Perlon?" Jerec said.

"Yes, Lord Jerec?" sounded a quivering voice as the admiral appeared on the transparisteel windowscreen.

"How is the offense against Coruscant going?" he inquired.

"We… erm… lost the first strike, my lord. But the second strike will be more successful, I promise."

"I think your promises have proven to be quite empty, admiral."

"No, my lord, honestly, the first strike was merely a scout assault, to estimate their numbers." Kyle noticed the man was sweating and enjoyed feeling his fear.

"Admiral Perlon...," sighed Jerec. "Don't blow this attack or you'll be relieved from your position, is that clear?"

"Y-yes, my lord." The admiral bowed and quickly disconnected, before Jerec might change his mind. When the screen faded and became transparent again, Boc burst into cruel, high-pitched laughter.

Jerec got up from his chair rather hesitantly, like an old man. Kyle almost thought of helping him stand up, but knew it was just a trick of his master. As he discovered on board the _Vengeance_ for the past few days, Jerec liked to assume a weaker character from time to time. If you tried to help him then, you failed his mini-test. It was a strange characteristic, but somehow Jerec enjoyed making a fool of others, just as he enjoyed bullying Admiral Perlon. With a wide grin on his face he walked past his Dark Jedi followers and gestured Kyle to follow him.

"As you may have noticed, Katarn," began Jerec as they reached the door to other parts of the ship. "We are about to undo all the New Republic has fought for. Now, there are two main targets as you know well. Remind me, which were they again?"

There was another of these games Jerec played. "Coruscant and the remaining Jedi, my Lord," replied Kyle.

"Ah, yes, now I remember." The blind man allowed himself a smile. The two of them walked down the aisles silently for a few minutes until they reached Jerec's private quarters. "The first of them… Coruscant… your role will be non-existent. You are to stay on my ship the entire battle."

"Yes, my lord."

"But of course… the remaining Jedi will be hiding in the Jedi Academy."

"Wasn't the location to the Academy unknown?"

"To most, yes. But as with every location, somebody has to know where it is. We will have captives on Coruscant who lead the way. In the Academy I expect you and all the others to extinguish all Jedi. Take captives if you see use for one or two of them… but leave the leader to me."

"Of course, my lord."

Jerec opened the door to his quarters and gestured Kyle to enter. The vacancy of the room was intimidating, as always.

"Sit," suggested Jerec. It was a mocking invitation as there was only one seat in the room, which Jerec himself soon occupied. Nevertheless, Kyle sat down on the durasteel floor. "Sariss was an important factor in my little army of Jedi, Katarn. She was my second-in-command and right hand more than just a tool like Maw. Which means she left a gap… an empty position. I shall speak straightforward about it. There are but two candidates for this position. Yun is too inexperienced and hesitant, Maw is too much of a brute… which leaves you and Boc. Think about it. Prove yourself worthy to me over the next few days."

Kyle was a little overwhelmed by this news. He was still relatively new to the team. He softly coughed. "Well, this is surprising to me. I've only recently been added to the cause."

"Doubting yourself, are you?" The voice sounded cold and mocking. "Perhaps I was mistaken after all? Please don't disappoint me, Katarn. Boc can be too much of a nuisance at times… but if you leave me no other choice…"

"No!" Kyle objected. "I will prove myself worthy to you, my lord."

"Dismissed!"

Before he knew it, Kyle was out on the hallway again, feeling part proud, part nervous. He had to work hard to impress Jerec the coming days.


	14. Chapter 12

"Incoming!"

The whole building shook. The ceiling came down in some parts and flames erupted everywhere. Medical staff hurried through the passages, attempting to rescue those trapped under the debris.

"We must evacuate and leave for another system!" shouted one of the men.

Mon Mothma had managed to hold her balance and tried to re-establish communication with the _Supreme Cannon_. Was there something left of the fleet? The explosion was huge and the debris of ships and vessels falling down was many.

"This is General Han, go ahead, Chancellor."

She let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks goodness you are still alive up there, Han. What happened?"

"The ships just all flew involuntarily and collided with each other! As if they were possessed!"

"Where are you?"

"The explosion blew us away. We're just a few ships still alive, but we're quite far off and our engines are down. I'm afraid this is it, Chancellor…"

Mon silently wept, but there was no time for grief.

"Ma'am, Imperial ships are penetrating the atmosphere."

"Blow them away!" cried the Supreme Chancellor. It was an instinctive shout, but she could no longer care. Her reign was at an end. All that she had fought for in the last few years was about to be undone. The Republic was once more forcefully undermined.

"Ma'am, it's not having any effect on them… Could shields be that strong?"

"All soldiers to the landing platforms! Kill them as they get out!" Chancellor Mothma had regained herself and was determined not to give up that easily. But it didn't matter. Fifteen minutes later the barricaded door burst open and a squadron of stormtroopers jumped in and shot all who resisted, but never tried more than just to disarm the chancellor herself.

A tall presence followed them, dressed in black. He was nearly bald with a leather strap in front of his eyes and strange tattoos around the corners of his mouth that seemed to move. This was Jerec, she knew it.

"Hold your fire," he demanded and the stormtroopers instantly obeyed. His voice was a little bit hoarse, but still sharp and cold in tone. He moved closer to Mon Mothma. Suddenly, a New Republic soldier appeared from behind and fired his rifle at the Dark Jedi. His reflexes were impressive: he didn't even turn around to face him to stop the laserblasts, which just dissolved into nothing upon reaching him. More so, the soldier dropped dead seconds later.

When Mon Mothma eyed Jerec with great fear, he said: "Well, he _was_ asking for it." He knelt down by the chancellor, whom the stormtroopers had forced to the ground. "As for you, dear Chancellor… I desire something from you."

"I will give you nothing!" She spat at him.

"Well, there's no need for that. If the futility of your petty resistance hasn't been proven yet, it will be in just a few seconds. For I need the location of the Jedi Academy and you will give it to me, voluntarily or not."

"Unleash your dark magic on me, you monster!"

"Magic?" He smirked. "You silly woman. Now, concentrate, please." He put his hand on the Chancellor's face, not because he needed to do so, but more to annoy her while he concentrated hard to pull the information he required from her mind. He released her soon after. "Thank you, dear Chancellor. Now that I have what I wanted, the time has come for you to part from this world, preferably in a public place." He turned around. "Yun!"

The youth came in, wearing his blue-ish grey robes and holding a lightsaber hilt in his right hand.

"Yes, my master?"

"Take this woman to the top of the building and publicly execute her. Allow her to fly to her death."

Yun nodded and came closer to take Mon Mothma with him.

* * *

Kyle watched the scene happen from the _Vengeance_ 's screen. Members of the technical crew had made sure the screens were connected to security cams in the Republican fortress. He had been shocked by what had happened and more so realised the power Jerec possessed now. To move objects from a distance is one thing, but to make an entire fleet implode was pure madness. Kyle forced away a curious thought of his former friends. He felt Boc's presence coming up behind him.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" howled the Twi'lek in feigned awe. "Look, it's going to happen any minute now!" He pointed at the screen.

The screen showed the rooftop of the fortress. It showcased an amount of stormtroopers, a few Republican prisoners, Jerec, and finally Yun, who was driving Mon Mothma near the edge of the roof. The images didn't come with sound. Jerec was raising his hands, gesturing charismatically, or so Kyle assumed as it probably would've fit the speech he was holding at the moment. He more than once pointed at the Chancellor, but at the end he rather pointed at Yun, who was to set an example for any future rebels.

"Poor being, isn't he?" moaned Boc sadistically as Yun kicked the defeated Mon Mothma over the edge. Soon Jerec raised his arms in victory and the stormtroopers followed his example. Yun, however, didn't.

"What? Who? Yun?"

"Yes… such a pathetic soul…"

"Why? What did he do?"

"I don't know why the Master still keeps him. The boy's a doubtful character. He's unsure whether he is serving Jerec or serving the light."

"Is that so?"

"Though I must admit he's a lot more sensible of late, courtesy of yourself, may I add."

"Ah…" Kyle pretended to understand what he was talking about, but failed to even care a bit for the Twi'lek's words. His thoughts were still with the immense demonstration of Jerec's power and the consequences it will have for the galaxy.

"You know, the Master has told me I will be his second in command, now that Sariss is gone." He gave a short giggle.

This rather pulled Kyle's attention. "Did he, now?"

"Oh yes! Most definitely! And to think that he even considered you for a second, hahaha!"

"He did, didn't he?"

"Yes, but we are talking in the past tense of course. Such is no longer the case. Now you must obey me, Katarn! Do a little dance for me!" He started a high-pitched laughter as if Kyle had just begun doing the most ridiculous of moves. He didn't stir, however.

"I don't believe you, wormhead."

"Why not?!" Boc suddenly almost attacked him and stared him aggressively in the eye. "Jerec knows I'm the best! I'm his longest serving servant! The position is mine!"

"You talk too much," said Kyle as he gently pushed him away. "You are a great and skilled Jedi, no doubt, my little agitated wormhead. No doubt you possess power and intellect worthy of such position. If Jerec would choose you as his right-hand, I would have peace with the decision. Any choice made by Jerec is a wise choice." Boc seemed flattered and calmed down a bit. "However," Kyle added. "If it were the other way around, wouldn't you have peace with the decision of our Master as well? Even though you think yourself worthier, wouldn't you also obey your Master as a servant should?"

Boc was a little taken by surprise and murmured a hardly intelligible "I guess so."

"Then let's, by all means, compete and annoy each other if we must," said Kyle as he made his way to the door. Just before he disappeared through it, he added: "But, Boc, if you are indeed his longest serving servant and you are still not in the second-in-command position, you must've done something wrong along the way." He quickly winked as the door closed and felt the irritation boil up inside of Boc.

* * *

Leia sat in Luke's accommodation on the top floor of the Academy. She had developed a severe headache over the hours. It has been two days since Mon Mothma last contacted her and she wanted to know what was going on. She felt things weren't right. She felt like vomiting, but the contents of her stomach never rose that high. Just hours ago she got contacted by Han Solo however. He had gone into hiding as he brought the disappointing message that Coruscant had fallen. Out of fear that Jerec's spies would be intercepting and tracing the message he had disconnected far too early. Oh, she felt so miserable. With all her friends into hiding, finding them was next to impossible.

Na-quam had been a real comfort however. Conversing with him proven both distracting and very interesting. He possessed such theoretical wisdom and generally had a knack for making her feel better. He had informed the other Jedi that Coruscant had fallen all too soon. A battle was at hand. It was in the air. Petiimark had insisted that Leia was given a lightsaber. She didn't know how to use it, but it didn't matter to him. She allegedly was to draw less attention to herself when armed with a Jedi's weapon.

"What will happen now?" Leia asked often.

"A battle is at hand," was often the answer, mostly by Na-quam. "We must be prepared. All padawans have been called home. The last of them are expected to return today. We will not go under without a fight." And such was the conclusion of all present. They worked hard at possible battle strategies and often discussed where to position themselves.

"If Mon Mothma is indeed dead," said Na-quam. "Then there is no time for grief. She would not have cared for grief. There is a time for such emotional matters and there is a time for necessary steps to be taken to make sure what happened to her will not happen to us. Remember the dead, forget them not, but accept their death quickly and return to the living, to which you yourself belong." Leia found the statement rather insensitive, but knew it was true and it was the way the Jedi maintained their inner balance. "Now, let's try it again," recommenced the elderly Jedi as he rose his lightsaber again and gestured her to do likewise. Leia mirrored his stance and tried to defend herself against his gentle, but treacherous moves.

"For one who has been holding this weapon for but a day, you are certainly not to be ashamed of yourself," concluded Na-quam. "You will most certainly be able to defend yourself. The blood of a Skywalker definitely runs through your veins." With a smile he concluded the lesson and left the room to welcome the newly arrived padawans. Leia followed.

The new arrivals certainly came across as an interesting duo. They were softly quarrelling among themselves and ignored half of their surroundings. The first of them was a Human in his late teens, while the other was a species Leia had never seen before. She later understood that the tall, reptilian humanoid was part of the Chistori race, which was mostly living on an independent planet rather far from the Republican society, which would have explained why she had never heard of them before.

"Jaden, Desann, what in the world would be able to cause a little quarrel between two best of friends?" said Na-quam with a smile as he welcomed them with open arms.

All too quickly, the both of them said "Nothing, Master Na-quam."

The peculiar answer made Na-quam's eyebrows rise, but suddenly Petiimark came up from behind and interrupted them. "Jaden, Desann, finally! Come with me, quickly! We'll discuss the battle plan. They can be here any minute!"

"As the matter of fact, Master, I think they'll be here within the hour," spoke the Chistori with a low voice, who apparently was named Desann. "On our way back, we soared past a small fleet of Imperial ships."

Jaden seemed rather absent, which did not go unnoticed.

"Jaden, is there something you should tell us about?" inquired Petiimark curtly.

The padawan quickly regained himself and tried a convincing "No, Master," but Leia wasn't convinced and from the corner of her eye she noticed Na-quam wasn't either.

"Be sure to talk about it if you want," continued Petiimark. "But as of yet I think you should meditate on it right now. Return to me in thirty minutes… If they are indeed here in an hour, we must be prepared." He looked at Jaden as if investigating him, then looked at Desann and left with a curious look on his face.

The two apprentices, slightly disturbed, resumed their walk and, to some degree, their quarrel. Na-quam stared at the two for a while, mumbled something unintelligible and eventually walked away.

Thirty minutes later the radar had detected the Imperial ships slowly approaching Yavin IV. It was a matter of minutes until they would land. Petiimark called everyone down to the main hall for a small meeting and, as people had come to expect of him, a speech. Now that everyone was in the same room Leia could for the first time really estimate their chances. There were but two true Jedi, about five older padawans and two handfuls of younglings aged between seven and fourteen years old. It was admirable that they decided to fight, but this would seem rather too easy for five experienced Dark Jedi, who were backed by an army of well-trained stormtroopers if necessary. However, she soon found out that the Jedi knew of the danger and did not intend to be slaughtered like that.

"The moment is nearly there," spoke Petiimark with his somewhat barking voice. "There are five known Dark Jedi aboard that ship and they are most likely to leave out the army in this battle. We might not all be equal to them in terms of training, but if you think we are about to be slaughtered here, think again. We have no choice but to defend ourselves. However, I have been in talks with Na-quam concerning the younglings. When the fight commences, they will be escorted by him to a solitary flight vehicle hidden somewhere underground. Leia, you must join them. Na-quam will guide their path to safety while we hold these Dark Jedi up.

"The fight knows two different outcomes: defeat or victory. In the case of victory it is our job to leave for Coruscant and reclaim the capitol of the Republic for the sake of democracy. In the case of defeat it is the job of those who have survived to maintain resistance and to strike when Jerec's face is averted." He concluded his little speech with a sigh and eyed the Jedi as if expecting lots of questions, which didn't come. "Very well, may the Force be with you all." His eyes rested for a moment on Desann and he frowned a little. "Can I speak to you in private, Desann?" The saurian padawan followed Petiimark to a separate room. The remainder of the older padawans quickly meditated a little, while the younglings walked about nervously.

"What is with this Desann?" asked Leia.

"Yes, Desann," replied Na-quam with a frown. "He is an interesting case, really. He always was a little different than everyone else. His race, the Chistori, is generally not a Force-sensitive species. More so, the very few who do seem to feel the Force are expelled from their society rather violently. But out here, where he is trained, he is often excluded by other species, simply because most of them have never met a Chistori before. He seemed to have become good friends with Jaden Korr, however." He pointed at the apprentice that had entered with Desann earlier that day. "But they've come back from a mission to Sullust and Desann feels a bit… odd today. I hope nothing evil took place in him."

"Evil? What do you mean?"

"Nothing in particular. Don't worry about it." It seemed casual as he told her not to worry about it, but she felt it was rather excluding her from the details. Eventually she had peace with it and decided it was their matter after all, so she changed the subject.

"Why don't we all go to the underground ship right now?"

"Jerec is a powerful man. He will know where we are. We can only leave successfully when he has engaged in battle and nobody's watching the backdoor."

The next few minutes seemed long. They were waiting for an attack, but apparently they were farther off than she thought they were. Leia decided to walk a little around the building to counter the increasing nervousness.

* * *

Kyle had never been to the Academy when he was still on the side of the New Republic. Seeing it through the window of the small vessel that was to bring them to the surface felt odd. It was as if he was always meant to be at that building, but for a whole different purpose than the one he pursued now. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see it was Jerec's.

"Feeling sentimental, aren't we?" The blind man smirked. "And now I can finally see you in action! Have I never said how fine a job it was to rid the galaxy of Luke Skywalker?" Jerec walked about in the small compartment with all his followers listening carefully. "These petty targets aren't worthy of the name Jedi. They are nothing compared to Skywalker… but do you not feel what I feel? Do you not sense what I sense? It's almost as if Skywalker is still here… I sense his blood…"

"Leia Organa…," uttered Maw.

"Very good," Jerec agreed. "She's mine! I shall have the leader and her. You can divide the rest amongst yourselves. And I do long for captives, might I add… New blood to add to the cause."

Boc poked Kyle. "Let's do a little competition here! The one who kills the most Jedi wins! Ha-ha!"

Kyle shook his hand in agreement, while Jerec smiled contently.

* * *

Angry shouts came from the main hall. Had the battle begun? She'd have heard the repulsor engines of the enemy ship, she reckoned. What was it then? Leia hastened down the stairs to find out what the fuss was all about. Desann ran past her and fled up the staircase. The shouts came from Petiimark. Leia caught bits and pieces of it. Words and phrases like "irresponsible" and "disloyalty to the Force" flew by. Did it mean what she thought it did? She entered the hall and saw Na-quam speak sternly to his fellow Jedi, addressing him on his self-control.

"I guess we are all a bit agitated now," she heard Na-quam say. "But that should not be a Jedi's excuse for losing temper like that!"

"But he's betraying us! He's gone down the Dark path!"

"And yet we are to set an example. We do not attack unless attacked. We have more important matters on our hand right now. We will fight the battle first and then we will look at this problem of ours."

Their conversation was interrupted by Rosh Penin, who entered the hall in a run and shouted: "Alright, everybody prepare! They have landed!"

"Assume positions!" roared Petiimark.

The reaction of the padawans was remarkable. They all started running into various directions and Na-quam gathered all the younglings and ordered them towards the passage that led underground. Apparently they had all discussed who would stand where.

"Leia, come on!" called Na-quam. That was when Leia realised she wasn't carrying the saber she was given.

"I'm fetching my saber, give me five minutes!"

"What?! We don't have five minutes, Leia! Come here, now!"

She was on her way up already. She couldn't tell why, but something made her feel this was very important. More important even than escaping the planet. She bumped into Desann just before she reached the quarters she had resided in the past couple of days.

"Has the fight already started?" he asked.

Leia nodded. "Yes. They could use your help, I think."

"They need my help." He hurried towards the main hall.


	15. Chapter 13

The main entrance door was blown up by Jerec and the five Dark Jedi marched in. At first, the hall seemed deserted.

"Don't be fooled," breathed Jerec. "We will split up." He pointed all towards a different direction with the exception of Yun. "You will stay put and guard the exit." When the young Dark Jedi appeared disappointed he added: "Don't worry. I guarantee you'll get your Jedi to kill." Without further hesitation they split up. Jerec headed for the stairs, Maw crossed the hall, Boc turned left and Kyle went for the basement.

It soon appeared that this was exactly what the defending Jedi had hoped for, but Jerec could not have cared less.

Kyle thought the basement would be the most boring of places to look for these cowardly hiding Jedi. How many Jedi were there? He never visited the Academy, so he couldn't make a fair estimation of what they were about to encounter. Jerec could though and he seemed confident they weren't outnumbered at all. About this he puzzled as he descended the staircase into the dark basement. He heard two voices arguing about something, but just as he sensed two presences they were muted. Kyle sneaked forward through the darkness. They had turned off all the lights, so he had to 'guess' his steps carefully.

The voices remained silent from now on and it seemed a bit of a pointless maze hunt. For a dozen of minutes they just sneaked about. Kyle could not see them, but when he thought he felt their location they had already moved. Tired of this cat-and-mouse chase, Kyle instead searched for the light switch. It wasn't hard to find at all, because this one did not attempt to go away from him. He turned on the lights and immediately turned around to see two young Jedi, barely twenty years old, stand right behind him.

Instinctively he used the Force to push them both far away. He got a good look at them. One of them was a Rodian and the other was a Human with short brown hair. Kyle hit the thumb switch of his lightsaber hilt and filled the air with the smell of ozone.

"Which one of you wants to die first?"

The Jedi got up and activated their sabers as well. They both jumped at him, but Kyle managed to hold his own and blocked both attempts effectively, the Rodian losing his balance in the process. Kyle had never fought two Jedi at the same time before and it proved to be quite difficult. The Jedi appeared quite skilled with their lightsabers; one quickly attacking while the other just got blocked. He managed to hold his own and quickly discovered that he was superior to them in terms of individual strength. The Rodian turned up from behind, but Kyle was too fast and had turned around to block the attempt, only to turn back to strike at the Human, who in turn blocked. Kyle kicked backwards and felt the hilt slide out of his opponent's hand. He extended his hand, called upon the Force to lift the Human off the ground and threw him at the Rodian. They landed on top of each other, both hilts on the ground. Kyle collected them.

"With all due respect, but I had expected more," he mocked. He did not forget Jerec's request for prisoners. "Which one of you wants to die and which one should proceed as an apprentice to the dark side?" It sounded rather casually, as if dividing tasks in the household.

"We are loyal to the Force!" shouted the Human. "None of us will join that dark side!"

"None of you, you say?" repeated Kyle absently.

"Except Desann," the Rodian blurted.

"Desann?" Kyle mimed uninterestedly.

"You despicable being!" the Human shouted angrily at the Rodian Jedi. "If you just for once stopped that talking behind his back! He did not turn to the dark side! As I told you it was more complicated! Talk to him or shut up!"

Kyle liked the reaction and decided to act on it. "But, dear Rodian, who is this Desann? Where can I find him?"

"I don't think I'm going to say that…"

"That's right!" confirmed the other Jedi.

The Dark Jedi sighed. This wasn't going anywhere. He activated his lightsaber and stabbed the Rodian in the chest. His victim fell down lifelessly. He looked at the remaining Jedi and stared him deep in the eye for a moment. There was a certain intensity in his eyes. Passionate feelings resided within him. Kyle reached out to him through the Force. Before him was a boy, not a man, feeling doubtful about the future, caused by recent information.

"Tell me, young Jedi, what is so complicated about the nature of this Desann?"

"Bite me!"

"I'm not a rancor."

"Just kill me and get done with it!"

"Is Desann a friend of yours?"

"Desann is… was… is my best friend. Now strike me down."

"And your friend has been consumed by the dark side?"

"No! Never! He just… Stop talking! Nobody turned to the dark side! He…" A lump had formed in his throat, Kyle noticed.

"You wish he had turned to the dark side, don't you?"

"Why, of course not! What's keeping you!"

"It would have made things easier, wouldn't it? He was your friend, then he would be your enemy, but now… what is he? Apparently still your friend, for you defend him all too passionately, but isn't he supposed to be your enemy?"

"Look, you Dark guy, he is not supposed to be anything! You don't even know who we're talking about. Either give me my saber back or end my life."

"No. We play by my rules."

"Which are?"

"No death until I decide so. No grace until I decide so. Now, I feel a struggle within you, Jedi. Why don't you share with me your pains, your little inside quarrels, and we will take it from there."

"What?!" The Jedi frowned and did not seem to understand what was happening. Was this Dark Jedi not supposed to be a mindless killer? What was he playing at?

* * *

Boc took one last look over his shoulder, noticed that all had gone their way except for Yun, and headed down the aisle. With one hilt in hand, he felt his belt for the second hilt hanging from it, wondering if he'd need it. He trod forward carefully. Something was waiting there for him, he knew it. He sensed a presence and instinctively activated his lightsaber. Purple light decorated the room. Nothing happened.

A door emerged on the wall. Boc opened it. It seemed like some kind of training room. There were massive stones placed on the floor. Some were shifted recently. It made Boc alert and righteously so. As soon as he set foot in the chamber a Jedi flew at him. Boc was knocked off balance, but just in time blocked the attack and kicked the Jedi backwards. He only then got a good look at his attacker. It was an Aqualish girl, aged not even twenty. It made him laugh. "Is this all there is to defend the Academy?"

Without a response Eganda Vond lunged her saber at the Twi'lek, who blocked the attempt. He tried to launch a counterattack, but found her dodging all his moves without too much effort. She was quite agile as she jumped all around him. The Dark Jedi had no trouble defending himself though. When he finally was quick enough to intercept her pattern she felt panic coming and decided to flee.

Boc followed her through another door that led outside to the saber training areas. He found her standing near a control panel, pressing a few buttons. Boc heard a sound of doors opening and turned right to see the storage shed unleash a couple of saber training droids. There were five of them. The Jedi at the control panel had probably programmed their level to a high one, no doubt. Boc grabbed his second lightsaber and was ready to duel.

The first few droids attacked mindlessly and Boc had no troubled dodging and blocking their attempts. This was what he enjoyed doing best. There was nothing he preferred more than being outnumbered by mindless, inferior saber wielders. With two sabers in hand he really got into form spinning around, clashing with every other saber as they passed by. A smile appeared on his face as pieces of droid flew around, forcing the Jedi to fight him herself again.

The second blade proved an advantage. She could no longer carelessly jump all around him, which she tried at first, but a cut in her upper left leg made her realise. Boc's smile turned to a wide grin as he intimidated his opponent with some quick spinning moves as he slowly drew towards her. He sensed the fear within her rising and knew then that she was just a padawan. She wasn't worth too much trouble. He had a contest to win.

He lunged his right saber at her, which she blocked with her right hand, and that was when Boc lunged his left saber, which sunk right through her thigh. She screamed as she fell down. The Dark Jedi did a little dance and laughed sadistically as he cut off her left leg, which made her scream even louder. Next went the right arm. The other two limbs followed; the head went off last. Having had his bit of fun, he continued to search his wing of the building.

* * *

Maw raced forward. He felt as if he was chasing somebody… or many somebodies. He heard their voices, felt their fear and longed for their death. When he had finally reached the corner he knew where they were. The door led to a hangar. A large ship was hidden beneath the Academy! They were trying to escape, but that wouldn't happen if Maw had anything to say about it. He saw them board the vessel; two handfuls of younglings and an elderly Jedi, who was looking around impatiently, as if waiting for someone to come.

Without hesitation Maw used his Force-enhanced flying skills to race at the Jedi from mid-air, intending to take him down in one simple swing of his saber. His opponent wasn't stupid, however, and had seen him coming from a long distance. The green and red clashed and Maw's enormous strength leaned down on Na-quam, who had trouble holding him off, but eventually moved away, causing Maw to crash to the ground. He had no time to recuperate and got back floating just in time to stop the elderly Jedi's attack.

"Why, old man, do you even bother?" he grunted. "Fleeing was a nice plan, but unfortunately all those little cry-babies will now be slaughtered!"

"Not as long as I'm still alive!" shouted Na-quam as he attacked again. He was no match for Maw's strength. Maw blocked and knocked him to the ground.

"Prepare to be finished!" he roared.

"No!" shouted a new voice. Maw looked in the direction the voice came from and saw a young and agile Jedi speeding at the two. Before he could make a decision he was forced to block the powerful blow.

"Na-quam," said the Jedi in a low voice. "Get on board and leave! Leia is not going to make it!"

"I never lost faith in you, Desann." The elderly Jedi smiled at the Chistori as he helped him up.

The scene had re-enraged Maw, who now tried to intercept the old Jedi's path, but was given a rough kick in his side by Desann. Maw painfully crashed into the ship's hull and tasted blood between his sharp teeth. He now focused on the more dangerous young Jedi and for the first time he noticed how peculiar he looked. Not only had he never seen his species before, but his lightsaber wasn't a standard design either. The bottom of the hilt featured some kind of orb from which many spikes emerged and the saber blade was a deep red.

"What are we dealing with here?" Maw growled as he got up. "A Jedi disguised as a Dark Jedi?" His eyes weren't the only senses giving this impression. There was something about this Desann that felt strange. He wasn't like the other Jedi.

"Fine," said Desann in his low voice. "Let's talk first then." He made sure Maw was actually waiting for the answer before lowering his saber. "I'm no Dark Jedi, if that is your concern."

"Well, if you want to become one, feel free to join us. I have a feeling that you certainly have the potential to become a Dark Jedi."

"Spare your insulting tongue the effort, monster. I in no way want to be associated with the likes of you. You have no respect for the Force!"

Maw felt a little taken aback by this comment. "In what sense?"

"Mindlessly slaughtering all Jedi in the Academy… It is nothing to be proud of. It is a cowardly act."

"Well, Mr. Brave, this is not a game. This is war! Why am I even trying to explain this to you?"

"My view on the Force is different than those of the Jedi… and different from those of the Dark Jedi or Sith."

"I'm listening."

"The Force is a power to be used… to live and let live, but also to attack and conquer, not only to defend. And that is where my view and that of the clan to which I since a few days belong to differs from both the Light and Dark side as known to this galaxy."

"A clan?" This was interesting information Jerec might want to know, Maw reckoned.

"Why, yes. We of the Reborn Clan believe the Force serves those who treat others who feel the Force with respect. That cannot be said of you."

Maw couldn't help but snigger. "Oh and what is the Force going to do about it?"

"In time, you'll see."

"See what?"

"The Force will betray you." The words sounded important. Spoken with a sense of earnest. More so, they felt as if containing a sense of truth.

"Bah!" concluded Maw, who quickly discarded the information as rubbish. "Enough nonsense. Let me kill you."

"We will meet again, flying friend." Desann had no intention to fight, apparently, for he headed to the far corner of the hangar where another small vessel stood.

No, thought Maw. He intended to follow Desann when the larger ship started its repulsor engines, separating Maw from his prey with a line of fire. It was almost as if Desann wanted Maw to live and tell his Master about this meeting. When the large ship took off it was almost three seconds until Desann's shuttle followed. Maw let out an angered roar.

* * *

Yun was walking in circles. It killed time. "What was the point?" he often asked himself. His secret longing for the Light side seemed merely deceit as his one hope had succumbed to Jerec and the Darkness; the one person he could talk to and trusted was killed and tainted forever by that same person; and now he was not even allowed to participate in Jerec's plans anymore. Oh yes, he promised he would get his share of Jedi to kill, but how many Jedi were there really? In the short period of existence of the New Republic there cannot have been trained that many padawans. He just had to wait for them to return.

However, Jerec's promise seemed truth. Footsteps approached from the outside and Yun turned around. His hand wrapped itself around the itching saber hilt. When the Jedi finally appeared both sabers immediately clashed. Yun knew it. This was his chance to impress Jerec and become something more than just 'the apprentice'. His opponent was about the same age: an apprentice as well.

He attacked with furore and technical velocity, making combos his adversary could only barely defend. He seemed even taken by surprise to have found Yun still in the entrance hall and was forced backwards by the ever aggressive combinations by Yun. The Jedi tripped over a piece of the blown-up door and fell on his back. That was when Yun saw his chance. He called upon the Force to lift the other half of the door and made it crash down upon the Jedi, who screamed in pain.

"Ah, please! Stop it!" he cried.

Yun lifted a girder that was on the floor near the door to the basement and threatened to land it on the Jedi too.

"No! I beg you! Don't!"

Yun hesitated. He had been undoubtedly victorious. Would he show him mercy? Kyle showed him mercy back in Baron's Hed, but would Kyle still do such a thing today? Yun wanted to impress Jerec. To kill or not to kill? Suddenly he remembered Jerec saying, "I do long for captives…" A feeling of power came over Yun. He would not just defeat this Jedi, he would have Jerec a new apprentice!

"Watching you beg is almost pathetic, Jedi."

"I'm serious! I'd do anything!"

"Will you surrender?"

"Yes, I surrender!"

Yun threw away the girder. "I'm giving you a choice, coward. You know we don't show mercy. You can either join us or die!"

The Jedi's face was covered in blood. He seemed to swallow something, but he remained silent for a while.

"Then death it is," concluded Yun as he rose his lightsaber.

"No! Stop! I will join you…"

Yun smiled as the Jedi lost consciousness. He took the pieces of the door off of him and tried to make him sit near the wall. Footsteps came near. Yun turned to find out that Boc had returned. He appeared a little moody.

"What's the matter?" asked Yun while he tried to wipe the blood off the Jedi's face with the newly defected's clothes.

"Can you imagine? An entire wing of the Academy just deserted… I encountered only one Jedi… only ONE!" He angrily kicked some debris of the door. "What's that you're doing with that dead one?"

"He's not dead, Boc. He just became my apprentice."

Boc let out a high-pitched mocking laugh. "Ooh, little Yun is cleaning his new apprentice! Don't forget to change his diaper! Ha-ha!"

"Shut it, Boc! I'm merely trying to prevent him from dying."

"Honestly, Yun, you are just an apprentice yourself. You can't have an apprentice of your own age. Better just kill him now… or no, I have an even better idea!"

"What's that?"

"Give him to me! Yes. I shall have him as my little apprentice! We'll say I overpowered him and he came begging at my feet to join the Dark Side! That is the story we will tell!"

"That's not fair, I defeated him!"

"Do you wish to test your saber skills against mine, boy?"

Yun sighed. He was no match for Boc, he knew it. But this was unfair.

"If you tell anything to Jerec other than what I just told you, you shall have a taste of this!" Boc activated his lightsaber and made some moves in the air.

Yun narrowed his eyes, but didn't object. All the happiness and hope that had just filled his heart had been driven out and was replaced by a lump of hatred directed at Boc.

"You just wait," he said.

The Twi'lek raised an eyebrow at the young Dark Jedi and burst into laughter again, while making moves with his humming saber.

* * *

Leia had found her saber fairly quickly at her desk, but when she turned around to go down again she heard a big explosion. That must've been them, she thought. There was no way she could go to the underground shuttle bay without going through the large entrance hall. She remained in her room for a bit, trying to hear what the cold voice she recognised as Jerec's said.

Suddenly she was tapped on her shoulder. It was Petiimark.

"Why are you still here?" he mouthed quietly. He didn't wait for her to answer and he probably did not even want to know. He gestured her to follow him. They further ascended the stairs until they reached the top floor. Leia knew Luke's office was at the end of the hall they now faced. On the sides of the hall were various statues of famous Jedi. Among them were Yoda, Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Revan. Leia had spent a great deal of time in Luke's office since his death.

"Quickly! In here!" Petiimark whispered. He led her into Luke's office and never stopped looking over his shoulder. "He's coming!" Leia looked at the Jedi and she'd have sworn she saw fear in his eyes.

"We have to fight him," she protested.

"I will have to fight him. You, however, must not."

Slow footsteps became audible. Petiimark closed the door behind Leia and prepared himself for battle. Leia was left alone, but felt the Dark Jedi draw nearer and nearer. If even Petiimark was afraid of him, did that mean their doom was imminent? Even though the door was closed, she could still hear the footsteps on the staircase. Their pace was slow and heavy. Each step was deep and determined like a drum. She breathed harder as she heard two voices exchange some conversation. She couldn't hear what they were saying, her mind was blank and she slightly panicked as she heard the humming of lightsabers on the other side of the door. She heard their sabers clash once, twice. There was a little pause and then another clash. There were a few more thuds, some louder than others, a few more clashes, some kind of moan and then complete silence.

Leia felt hesitant about what to do. Should she leave the office? What would she encounter? She feared the worst. Somehow she knew the outcome of the relatively short fight. She felt the Dark Jedi in the other room. She sensed him. There was no other way out but to face this cold man.

Slowly she came to her feet, gathered together all her bits of courage and gently opened the door to the hall.

"Strange, isn't it?" said the voice belonging to a man standing near one of the statues, scrutinising it with all his senses. "To enter a Jedi Academy, a domain of the Light Side, and then to encounter a statue of Darth Vader, one of the most notorious Sith Lords of recent history…" The man was balding. A leather strap was bound over his empty eye sockets. Dark Force energy surrounded him. Leia knew the difference from a Light Jedi at once. Petiimark's body was somewhere near the wall, leaning on Revan's feet.

"He was lighter than you might think," she spat.

Jerec turned around and pretended to stare at Leia for a while. "But of course he was. He was, after all, your father, was he not?"

Leia remained silent.

The Dark Jedi laughed cruelly. "Leia Organa… Princess Leia! Oh what a pleasure to finally meet one of the most prominent forces of the New Republic. Or should I say, latest republic?"

"You have no conscience."

"On the contrary, princess. Senator. I am very conscious of the fact that it now is very easy to become the new emperor. Lord Sidious, my former Master, had done most of the work many, many years ago."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, but why should I bother you with this? This Jedi Academy, your so called safe haven, is nothing but a joke! I expected at least a real Jedi or two to fight. If this fur ball here is the only resistance I'll have I might even die of boredom."

"You assume too much."

"Oh, but I see you are holding a lightsaber in your hand. Are you sure you know how to use it? I didn't know you were initiated in the arts of the Jedi, princess."

Leia wasn't sure whether Jerec actually understood that she wasn't and was just mocking her or whether he was sincerely surprised by this weapon in her hand. "There is only one way to find out, Jerec."

"No, there are many ways, my dear princess. However, there is one particular way that I cherish most… it is my favourite way of finding out things like these. It is the one you are thinking of as well. And I like that."

Leia hit the thumb switch and the blue bar of energy appeared. She felt less nervous than she expected, but was a little thrilled nonetheless. Jerec merely smiled.

"Our minds work alike, princess. I must regret to inform you that my lightsaber got a little damaged in my encounter with, erm, this…" He pointed at Petiimark's body. "Which means of course that I will not be able to defend myself. And since I do not fancy a chase through this building I will allow you to win this round. What is your next move, o merciless princess?"

Leia felt excited. Before her was the terror of the galaxy… Jerec, the man who had claimed the power of the Valley of the Jedi; who had mysteriously conquered Coruscant within a matter of hours; who was to reign as a crude emperor for many more years to come… And it was within her power to destroy him! What was her next move? It was so obvious, so tempting, yet it sounded too easy. There had to be a catch.

"Well? I am getting impatient. What are you going to do? Are you seizing your chance to rid the galaxy of me? Or are you too afraid to kill?"

"Speak not to me of fear, Jerec. We've overthrown an empire before and it will happen again! Just not now." She hit the thumb switch again. The blade disappeared and with it Jerec's smile.

"That's a pity," he spat. He was clearly not amused. "Then you must die."

Before Leia had time to react she felt herself being shaken back and forth. The wall hit her hard and she tasted blood. The ceiling was softer, but the ground made up for that. Lightning went through her body one more time before Jerec put his fist around her throat. "You could have stopped this," he hissed in her ear. "You could have seized the power for yourself! But no, you have to show your mercy again. Whatever terror the galaxy will be in once I sit on my throne is entirely to blame on you!" Leia saw the red lightsaber emerge before her eyes. It flashed right before her eyes and was the last thing she ever saw.


	16. Chapter 14

Yun sat against the wall again. Before him, Boc was still dancing and juggling with his sabers. Rosh was still unconscious, but Yun didn't care. It was no longer his prize, his trophy. Jerec would never know Yun's true value to his cause… or would he?

Maw rushed in with weapon raised. "Blasted tricksters!" he roared.

"What's the fuss?" asked Boc half-interested.

"I did not get to kill! I want blood to be shed!" Maw looked all around, looking for somebody to kill. "That vermin over there!"

"No!" cried Boc. "That is my new apprentice!"

"Apprentice? That sad piece of misery?"

"That's my apprentice you're talking about, show some respect, you!"

"Apprentice my chopped-off butt! My blade is itching!"

"But Maw," Yun interfered. "Didn't you encounter anyone then?"

"Yes, I did," grunted the half-man as he drew closer to Yun. "I almost defeated that old miserable Jedi before some strange other Jedi distracted me. The old Jedi fled the planet with all the younglings! All of them! They are going to raise an army to overthrow this new regime!"

"Gentlemen, gentlemen," said a new voice. All three looked at Kyle, who came walking with a body in his arms. "What is all this noise and excitement?"

"Maw's bloodthirsty," answered Boc drily.

"Yeees!" growled Maw. "What's that hump of flesh you're carrying, Katarn?"

"This will be my new apprentice!" Kyle announced with a proud smile. "Or so I hope. Jerec might as well assign him to Boc, I think."

Boc smiled at the mention of his name. "False modesty, though charming."

Yun cleared his throat. "But hey, Maw was telling a story."

"Yes," Maw grunted as he turned back to Yun. "This strange other Jedi was… strange. His blade was red, like mine, like Jerec's. Deep red. Like Katarn's."

"Yes, we get it, it was red," moaned Boc.

"Shut it!" spat Maw. "Anyway, he claimed to be no Dark Jedi! Yet he felt different from normal Jedi… He claimed to be part of some clan… the Reborn clan that is! They have strange views on the Force. He claims the Force will betray us!"

"I trust it you cut him down to size?" inquired Kyle.

"The coward fled! I want blood! One of your apprentices must be killed!" Maw waved his saber around impatiently.

"Did you gather his name by any chance?" informed Yun.

"Yes, Desann was the bastard's name. If I ever get my hands on him I will -"

"Yes, mindless brute, you will do things to him. Spare us the details of your tactless mind," Boc mocked him.

Maw almost attacked Boc after this remark if not for the footsteps making him freeze on the spot.

Slowly, Jerec appeared from the very staircase he before ascended. He drew closer before he spoke. "My friends, it is done! The Academy has been defiled." He observed the little quarrel between Boc and Maw, but refrained from commenting on it. "Follow me outside," he announced with a smile.

Yun got up, lifted the unconscious Rosh and followed the rest outside.

"Admiral Perlon," spoke Jerec through his com-unit when they were at quite a distance from the Academy. "Execute!"

A few seconds later the Jedi Academy was covered with explosions and dust clouds. Fire consumed the building. The only sound that was louder than the collapsing of the Academy was the cold, ruthless laughter of Boc.

For a while the lot watched the fire of victory. It was quite the romantic scene, had circumstances been different and had the company been more sophisticated. The sun had set behind the horizon already and there was a clear, dark sky above them.

Suddenly one of the apprentices woke up. He yawned. "Wh-where am I? What happened?" As soon as he realised where he was and what had happened he let out a small shriek.

Jerec turned around and knelt down by the survivor. "Can somebody please introduce us?"

Yun felt Boc's eyes poking in his neck and decided not to speak at all, even though Jerec was specifically turning towards Yun. It was of course Boc who spoke. "That is my new apprentice, my lord. I defeated him in battle and he was just begging to join us." Jerec lifted his eyebrows as he turned back to the apprentice. Boc added: "I also killed someone!" And when his master didn't seem to care he turned to Kyle. "I think I won the competition! One apprentice, one dead. Beat that! Ha-ha!"

"That's a draw, wormhead," countered Kyle. Boc grunted softly.

"Tell me," continued Jerec. "What is your name, Jedi?"

The apprentice was shaking. He was afraid. "I-I'm Rosh Penin."

"And tell me, Rosh Penin… you seek to join our cause, isn't that so?"

Rosh nodded fearfully.

"What value can you be to our company? You look like a weak, pathetic individual lying on the ground as you do."

"I… I-I…" His breath stopped for a moment in panic.

Yun helped him. "I'm afraid his leg might be broken, my lord. Boc was throwing girders at him."

"Is that so?" Jerec rose immediately and looked at Boc, who looked thoughtfully at first, but then nodded heavily. Jerec did not seem to appreciate it. "That's not your style…," he mumbled. And in a louder voice he added, "We will see whether he can be of value later. Who is the other? And why is everyone unconscious?"

"This, my lord, is Jaden," said Kyle while pointing. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but although he is still resisting I think he has enough passionate anger within to be an asset to us. However, if he fails there I think we can put him to good use anyway. He seems to be a good friend of this Desann…"

"Now THAT is an answer and a proper introduction. I shall put him under your care, Katarn. It will be your job to make good use of him… one way or another. But who is this Desann you spoke about?"

Maw again began telling the story of his encounter with the Chistori Jedi.

"That is unfortunate…," reacted Jerec. For a moment everyone expected him to lash out at Maw for being incompetent, but he didn't. "We will always be troubled by rebellions and uprisings, but the knowledge that there are quite a few Jedi out there is disturbing. I shall be busy preparing my rule as a new emperor and therefore I will not have time for these petty distractions. I will divide the tasks as follows. Head my words carefully, for I only wish to be disturbed for the most important things from now on." He paused for a moment to make sure everyone was listening. "Maw, you will be in charge of the search for these escaped younglings; Boc, give your best to make a decent Dark Jedi out of that miserable apprentice of yours; Kyle, you will be my second in command from now on and you shall spend your time not only trying to train that Jaden, but also finding Desann and eliminating him and that clan. You shall report to me directly; Yun, come with me. We shall speak in private when we are back on my ship. To the shuttle!" He marched off in search of the shuttle.

Kyle smiled, but a dirty hand grabbed his shoulder. He turned around to find Boc looking savagely into his eyes. The Twi'lek pulled him close and hissed: "It should've been me! I'll make sure you'll have a hard time!" He intended to walk away, but now it was Kyle's turn to stop him.

"Do your worst, wormhead. But remember this. You should not doubt our Master's judgement. He knows best what to do and when not to do something."

Boc growled softly. "Your arrogance doesn't suit you. Mark my words; you won't last for a few days in this position!"

"I don't need your trust. I outrank you now." He smiled and walked in the direction of the shuttle.

* * *

Yun followed his Master to his quarters on the _Vengeance_. He had been there a few times before, but never managed to get used to the claustrophobic atmosphere of the soberly decorated room. Jerec settled behind the desk and, as usual, invited his visitor to sit. As always, his apprentices obediently sat down on the floor.

"Yun, I am partly proud of you… and partly disappointed." He paused for a moment, scratching his ear. Yun stared at the floor. Did Jerec know what had happened? His Master continued. "You handled well with Rosh Penin. You easily overpowered him. You did well to try your hand at trying to bring him to our cause. I can see you have become powerful over the years… yet you yourself don't yet realise your full potential."

The young Dark Jedi eyed his Master with great care. He was pleased to hear this. He had been wanted to hear this for a long time, but that last bit made him feel uneasy. There was more to this. "How do you know, Master?"

"I see… more than the common Dark Jedi." Jerec bit his lip for a moment and rose from his chair. He gently paced around the room. "Tell me, Yun, why do you let Boc take credit for what you did?"

Yun cleared his throat as if intending to speak, but failed to come up with something to say.

"This is," continued Jerec, "the reason why I am partly disappointed, my friend. Boc is not superior to you. You need to stand up for yourself! Gain some self-confidence!"

Yun swallowed a lump in his throat as Jerec was pacing around behind him. The Master had never before spoken so extensively to him. He was used to Jerec's mind games and intimidations. He uttered a soft "Yes, master".

"The discovery would not have changed things. You are too young to have an apprentice of your own age, so I would have forwarded him to Boc anyway. I will promote you to Jedi, Yun."

The young apprentice turned around and looked at his Master with surprise.

"Rise."

Yun obeyed enthusiastically. Jerec lay his hand on Yun's shoulder. It felt cold and then very warm.

"You are no longer an apprentice. You are now a Dark Jedi." His lips curled up to a smile. He turned away and continued his pacing around the room. "I will put you in charge of the so-called anti-rebellion. You will also be assisting Maw whenever necessary. I trust you'll have no difficulties performing those tasks. More detailed briefings will follow once I've established a firm hold on the galaxy. You may leave. Oh, and send Katarn up here, would you?"

Yun took a short bow and left the quarters.

Jerec reached inside the colourful bowl filled with touchstones that was on his desk. It was the only thing he kept on there. His fingertips took hold of one of the sweets and he placed it on his tongue. A pleasant flavour of vanilla filled his mouth. The taste of victory!

"Come in!" shouted Jerec, while a few drops of saliva spat out incidentally. He quickly wiped his mouth and saw the door open to let Kyle Katarn inside. "We have much to do." He tried to look gravely.

"Yes, master."

"When I shall come to power officially in just a couple of days, we have to keep a firm grip on the population."

"Yes, master."

"I do not intend to make the same mistake as Palpatine…"

"Of course not, master."

"But, first, let's celebrate this victory."

"Master?" Kyle frowned. He hadn't expected that kind of remark.

"I am serious, Katarn." He reached inside the bowl again, found an oval stone and gave it to Kyle. "Enjoy."

"What is this?" He carefully scrutinised the touchstone.

"You've never had a touchstone before?"

"No, master. Can I eat it?"

The smile that had appeared on Jerec's face when he offered it had turned into a disappointed look. "Yes."

"What does it taste like?"

"Stop asking questions. Just eat it." Jerec seemed rather annoyed now.

The sweet popped inside Kyle's mouth and a strong taste of liquorice was emitted. Kyle instantly coughed heavily and grabbed his throat.

Jerec smiled silently.

"You could've asked if I liked liquorice before you gave me one of those," Kyle breathed in between coughs.

"Yes, I could have, I beg your pardon. Have another one." Contently, Jerec reached inside the bowl once more, found a cube, and handed it to Kyle again. "They all have a different taste," he added.

"If you say so, Master." His voice was still a bit hoarse, but he accepted the second stone nonetheless and popped it more carefully this time. Warm, dark chocolate. It was more pleasant. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, sit down. I shall tell you exactly what my plan is for the coming days."


	17. Plot Summary

**Dark Forces III: Masters of Darkness**

 **Episode I: The Third Option**

 **5 ABY**

 _This plot summary is included for those who want to read the later episodes, but don't want to go through this cringefest of a story._

 **Chapter I**

(The first part is an adapted scene from _Dark Forces: Jedi Knight_ by William C. Dietz) Kyle battles Maw, who lands on the ground unarmed at one point. He taunts Kyle by talking about his dead father, and Kyle gives in to his anger. He is stopped from killing the halfman by Jerec, who offers him a choice to join him, as long as Kyle would kill Jan, which he does.

A terrifying vision follows in which Kyle's choice is condemned by characters from his rebel past.

Yun waits for Kyle to wake up as he ponders over the situation; the hope he had for the light side was on the brink of vanishing for good with Kyle's fall. Kyle, after waking up, explains how he still wants revenge and that he felt underappreciated with the rebels.

In a long scene in Jerec's office, Boc announces that Admiral Perlon has taken Jerec's ship away, after which the Admiral is summoned. Yun enters and expresses his distrust towards Kyls's loyalty. Jerec tells him that he is wrong as asks him to observe. Kyle enters, angry at Jerec, but Jerec manages to calm him down and get him to swear his loyalty to him. When Admiral Perlon finally arrives, he is intimidated and threatened, which impresses both Yun and Kyle.

 **Chapter II**

Luke Skywalker has sensed that Jerec claimed the power of the Valley. He and Leia are going to the Jedi Academy on Yavin IV.

Luke sends Mara Jade and Padawan Aamer Kun to find Kyle, asks Leia to watch the Academy, and leaves for a Sith Temple on Dromund Kaas himself.

Kyle, on a journey to make his new lightsabre, meets Sariss on board the _Double Thorn_ , but they don't click (yet). They prepare for arrival on Helska I.

Han Solo arrives on the Republican dreadnaught, preparing the _Millenium Falcon_ and his team for another run at the _Vengeance_ , Jerec's ship. He is informed by Leia through communications about Kyle, Luke, and herself.

 **Chapter III**

Mara Jade and Aamer Kun arrive near Ruusan and use an old frequency code from the rebellion to determine if the _Moldy Crow_ is near.

Kyle and Sariss arrive at Helska I, enter a cavern on the planet, and Kyle finds his kyber crystal. Sexual tension between the two becomes noticeable. Kyle also defies Sariss as she planned to scold Captain Zegemor for warning them of danger.

Mara Jade and Aamer Kun discover that the _Moldy Crow_ is indeed on Ruusan. They enter the freighter _Sulon Star_ in hopes of finding out what happened.

 **Chapter IV**

Mara and Aamer trick and battle their way through the _Sulon Star_ , but find nothing of use. Their ship gets blown up, and they intend to flee with the _Moldy Crow_ , which they find in the second shuttle bay. After destroying the tractor beam, Maw attacks them and kills Aamer. Mara manages to escape with the _Crow_ and is rescued from the pursuing TIE fighters by General Solo and his team.

 **Chapter V**

Kyle and Sariss have a little argument about how to treat the crew, and it ends with the two of them kissing, though Sariss didn't want to.

Jerec wants Luke Skywalker dead and sends Maw to kill him.

Mara Jade has arrived at the dreadnaught safely and fills the Chancellor in. Mon Mothma wants to find Luke, so she asks Han to ask Leia to spill the beans. She eventually does when she hears the truth about the Valley and Kyle. General Crix Madine is being sent to find Luke.

 **Chapter VI**

Things have become awkward between Kyle and Sariss, and Sariss is angry at him. Kyle takes Captain Zegemor of the _Double Thorn_ with him to Keldooine in search of lightsabre components.

Kyle and Zegemor find a black market salesman and buy lightsabre components from him. As they get a drink, they are harassed by Bossk. They chase him away, by decide to leave quickly anyway.

Sariss and Kyle get lectured by Jerec to resolve their stupid differences. As a consequence, Kyle follows her to her quarters and forces her to talk about it. He decides to confront her feelings about him, and in the end they kiss again, this time more genuinely.

 **Chapter VII**

General Crix Madine arrives near Dromund Kaas in the _Chameleon_ , but meets the _Double Thorn_ there and gets his ass kicked by Captain Zegemor's superior firepower, while Kyle and Sariss have hot and steamy sex in the ship's control room.

The _Chameleon_ is boarded and Madine is taken prisoner by Lieutenant Frego.

Jerec pulls the information from Madine's mind, orders Sariss to take on Luke Skywalker, and orders Kyle to go to Rodia for some reason. Madine is beheaded, Kyle and Sariss exchange worries.

 **Chapter VIII**

Luke wanders around Dromund Kaas and encounters a dark side reflection of himself, which he eventually outsmarts and defeats.

Kyle arrives in Iskaayuma, Rodia, faster than anticipated. He encounters Mara Jade in the National Park. They banter, and eventually Mara, unable to turn Kyle back to the light, sacrifices herself in hopes that it would bring Kyle back.

 **Chapter IX**

Luke enters the Sith temple on Dromund Kaas, discovers that a Dark Jedi is also there, and messes around with various temple defences.

Kyle, on his way to help Sariss, encounters the ship _Elaria_ , manned by petty bandits who he tricks into allowing him on board.

On board the _Elaria_ , a mutiny is just taking place. Kyle kills everyone on board and uses the ship to get to Dromund Kaas a little faster.

Luke traverses through the labyrinth of the temple and does many things, but eventually meets Sariss.

 **Chapter X**

Kyle arrives on Dromund Kaas and finds Maw there, who wishes to stop him from entering the temple to help Sariss, because their love connection weakens them. They argue, Kyle goes in anyway.

Sariss and Luke have been duelling for hours, but when Kyle arrives, Sariss allows herself to be distracted, and Luke kills her.

In a frenzy, Kyle and Luke fight briefly, and Luke allows himself to be stabbed in the heart. Maw is celebrating, Kyle is grieving for Sariss, and they head to Edusa.

Leia senses Luke's death, but doesn't realise it until she receives a message from Mon Mothma, who informs her that Jerec has broadcast a message all over Coruscant, detailing his upcoming invasion and the death of Luke Skywalker.

 **Chapter XI**

Han is dealing with pre-battle nerves of his young soldiers, manhandles a traitor, and gives a heartfelt peptalk.

Leia is depressed about being at the Jedi Academy on Yavin IV. The Jedi have slowly returned, but Mon Mothma still doesn't allow her to leave, for the sake of the future of the Republic.

Jerec and his Dark Jedi are on the bridge of the _Vengeance_ as they achieve victory after victory, soon arriving near Coruscant for the final blow. Jerec informs Kyle that he and Boc are now competing for a position as second-in-command; a position now vacant with the death of Sariss.

 **Chapter XII**

The Battle over Coruscant has been lost. Mon Mothma panics. Jerec enters the building, extracts the location of the Jedi Academy from her mind, and orders Yun to execute her.

Kyle and Boc watch the execution on a screen. Tension rises between them as the competition ensues.

The news reaches the Academy. The Jedi prepare for a battle, as the Imperial fleet is approaching. We are introduced to Jaden Korr and Desann, two padawans, best of friends, apparently at odds over something. Leia receives lightsabre training from Na-quam.

Jerec looks forward to the fight. Kyle and Boc begin a competition of who kills the most Jedi.

Master Petiimark grows angry at Desann, hinting at the padawan having turned to the dark side, but as the battle begins, Desann nevertheless defends the Jedi and the Academy.

 **Chapter XIII**

The battle begins.

Kyle goes to the basement and encounters Protaki and Jaden. They argue about something. He kills Protaki, and takes Jaden captive. Apparently Desann has not turned to the dark side, or maybe he has, it's complicated.

Boc encounters Eganda Vond in the gardens, as well as sabre training droids. He destroys all and mutilates her before he kills her.

Maw follows Na-quam and the younger students to an escape ship, tries to interrupt them, but Desann shows up to distract him. Desann tells him "The Force betrays you" before he, too, escapes.

Yun is bored, waiting near the exit to prevent any Jedi from fleeing. He uses his time for some juicy character introspection. Finally, he encounters Rosh Penin, and sees this as his chance to impress Jerec and rise in the ranks. He beats him in a fight, but Rosh begs for mercy and gives in when Yun tells him to 'join us or die'. Boc arrives on the scene to take credit for beating Rosh, to Yun's dismay.

Jerec went up to the leadership. Leia was hiding in upstairs, and Petiimark urges her to flee into Skywalker's office. She hides there as she hears Petiimark being slain in battle by Jerec. She then confronts him herself, knowing there's no other way, and she is killed after rejecting the dark side herself.

 **Chapter XIV**

Maw and Kyle join Boc and Yun in the hall, and they exchange experiences, until Jerec walks in and declares victory. The Academy building is destroyed completely, and Jerec catches up with the rest, and accepts his new apprentices Rosh and Jaden. Kyle is made second-in-command, to Boc's dismay.

Yun is summoned. Jerec reveals that he knows what he did, despite Boc claiming credit. He promotes the youth to full Dark Jedi and assigns him a task.

Kyle is summoned. Jerec celebrates with him by handing out sweets.


End file.
